


Silver Snowflakes

by SchalaDresdan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Fluff, M/M, Minor panic attack, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-06-09 05:23:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15260328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SchalaDresdan/pseuds/SchalaDresdan
Summary: Victor was a romantic. He loved the idea that everyone had a soulmate, and he couldn’t wait to meet his.Yuuri had often dreamed about what it would be like to be Victor Nikiforov’s soulmate. Little did he know, his dreams were about to come true. Just… not in the way that he had hoped…





	1. The Banquet

**Author's Note:**

> In this soulmate AU, when the youngest of a soulmate pair turn sixteen both of the pair get a mark on their left wrist. When it appears it is a black outline. When you bond to your soulmate it becomes colored (the colors vary from couple to couple). If your soulmate dies before you bond it becomes a dull gray. 
> 
> A casual touch is all that it takes to initiate a bond between soulmates. If a person never touches their soulmate, skin to skin, the bond will never form. Because of this, it is common for people to cover all of their skin, and wearing gloves at all times is considered commonplace. It is also fairly common for someone to never bond. When you bond with your soulmate, you have to spend the first 24 hours in skin to skin contact. Not only that, but a great deal of contact is required for the bond to form properly. If you lose contact, then you both experience unimaginable pain. After the first 24 hours, you can be some distance apart, starting with a few meters and then increasing over time to a few kilometers. If you get too far apart even after the bond forms, the pain returns. You can also feel the physical pain and emotions of your soulmate. If you or your soulmate dies the other follows.
> 
> This is a prequel to [ Purple Roses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11527011/chapters/25875339), an Emil/Michele Soulmate AU written by my beta.

The Grand Prix Finals  
Gala Night  
Sochi, Russia

Victor sighed as he fastened the cuffs of his shirt. _These banquets are always so_ **_boring_ ** _! I wish that I could just not go._ He shook his head. _No, Yakov would have my hide if I skipped it. I won the gold, after all. I have to at least make an appearance, and chat with the sponsors. Again._

He picked up a pair of soft grey gloves, especially made to match his suit. Victor sighed and looked at his wrist. _I wish I didn’t have to hide my mark. I actually really like it._

It was a grouping of snowflakes, with one larger snowflake in the middle and two smaller ones around it. He absently ran his fingers over the mark. _I’ve seen other snowflake marks, but never one like mine._

He sighed. _The mark means that I have a soulmate out there, somewhere. I just have to find them._

He thought sadly, _I’ve been searching for so long. It’s already been seven years since my mark appeared. Will I ever find them?_

Victor pulled on the pair of gloves. The cuffs of his shirt met the gloves, covering his mark completely. He checked his appearance in the mirror. Satisfied with the result, he smiled.

_Whether I want to go or not, I have to. And it is time to go. Maybe I can skip out early. I could always claim that I’m tired after the Exhibition, and that I have an early flight._

He sighed. _If I do that, there will be articles in the gossip magazines next week calling me old… I guess I’ll just have to tough it out. God I_ **_hate_ ** _these boring banquets!_

_***_

Victor took a sip from his champagne flute as he listened to the man standing in front of him. “I really think that you will be an excellent spokesperson for our products, Mr. Nikiforov.”

Victor nodded and said, “Send the proposal to my agent, and I will have a look at it when I return to St. Petersburg.”

The man smiled agreeably. “Of course. We hope to work with you soon, Mr. Nikiforov. Congratulations on your gold medal.”

Victor smiled graciously. “Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me?”

The man nodded. “Yes, I’m sure there are others that wish to speak with you tonight.”

Victor nodded as he moved away from the man. _I had already decided to make a deal with his company, as long as the terms are agreeable. I use their products, after all._

Victor scanned the room and noticed that Yuuri Katsuki was standing by himself in a secluded corner. _Poor guy, he looks miserable. Did his coach drag him here? And then leave him by himself?_

He noticed that the table behind Katsuki was covered with empty champagne flutes. _Those can’t all be his, can they? There are over a dozen empty glasses! Should I try to talk to him?_

Victor sighed. _Maybe that is a bad idea. I tried talking to him after the competition, and he turned and all but ran out. He probably hates me, since I won and he came in sixth. That’s a shame. I would like to get to know him._

“Excuse me, Mr. Nikiforov?”

Victor plastered his media smile on his face before turning around. Inwardly, he sighed. _I know this man. He’s been trying to get me to endorse his products for years. Every year, I turn him down. His products are cheaply made and overpriced. I won’t be associated with them._

Victor listened politely to the man’s pitch. After the man finished, Victor said, “I’m sorry, but I already endorse another similar product. I cannot endorse your product at the moment.”

The man nodded dejectedly. “I understand. Thank you for hearing me out. And congratulations on your gold medal.”

Victor nodded and mumbled a quick “Thank you” as he turned back to where Katsuki had been standing. He was gone.

_Where did he go? Did he leave already?_

Victor noticed that someone had changed the music from the soft classical fare typically played at this type of event, to a louder, more rhythmic dance music. He looked around, confused, until he noticed someone dancing erratically around the room, drinking directly from a champagne bottle.

 _Is that… Katsuki? Who gave him that bottle?_ Victor whistled appreciatively as Yuuri’s dancing caused his pants to hug his well-formed ass.

_Whoever it was, I think I may owe them a very nice gift. That is a fantastic view…_

“Nice view, isn’t it?”

Victor nodded as he recognized the voice of his friend, Christophe Giacometti.

Chris chuckled. “Who knew that shy little Yuuri Katsuki would get this wild with just a little bit of alcohol…” He winked at Victor, “Perhaps we should get him to drink more often?”

Victor shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he might regret this in the morning.”

Chris replied, “But just look at that ass, Victor. So nicely shaped…”

Victor gulped audibly, his eyes glued to the man dancing around the room.

Chris smiled mischievously. “Like what you see?”

Victor nodded.

Chris asked, “Then why not make a move?”

Victor sighed. “I already tried talking to him after the competition ended, and he all but ran away from me…”

Chris smiled. “Well, that was sober. Maybe try your luck with drunk Yuuri?”

Victor shook his head vehemently. “No, I wouldn’t take advantage of him like that.”

Chris clapped Victor on the back. “Good.” He smiled. “The way you are looking at him, I wasn’t sure if you’re head was on right. I’m glad to hear you say that, Victor.”

Chris jokingly added, “Maybe take a picture? It will last longer…”

Victor’s face lit up with a genuine smile as he pulled out his phone. “That’s a great idea, Chris! Thanks!”

Victor opened his camera app and started snapping pictures of Yuuri dancing around the room. The song ended, and Yuuri scanned the room. Suddenly he pointed across the room at Yuri. He yelled, “You! I challenge you to a dance off!”

Yuri’s mouth hung open in surprise. “Huh?”

Yuuri shouted, “I’m going to prove that I’m the best Yuuri. I challenge you to a dance off!”

Yuri growled as he stalked to the middle of the empty floor, “There is _no way_ that you can beat me, on or off the ice! I accept your challenge!”

Victor’s face lit up. _Oh, this could get interesting… I know that Yuri has been in ballet since he was very young. And you can tell from watching his routines that Katsuki is a dancer, too._

Yuuri peeled off his jacket and threw it to the side, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. He looked at his gloved hands and shrugged as he pulled off the gloves and sent them to join the jacket.

Victor whistled. _Daring, isn’t he? That’s a lot of exposed skin in a public place like this. Or is he already bonded?_

Victor shook his head. _No, I haven’t heard anything about that. And he was still wearing gloves. Most bonded don’t bother._

Victor held his phone, ready to take photos as they began to dance. They started tamely enough, allowing themselves to become accustomed to the beat of the music. They clapped their hands to the beat as they began to dance. Then, Yuuri started to dance in earnest.

Yuri glared at the older man as Yuuri moved into a one-handed head stand. Yuri grunted in frustration as he attempted to copy the move.

The song came to an end causing the two dancers to stop. Victor approached Yuri and clapped him on the shoulder. “He beat you. You know that, right?”

Yuri growled out, “Whatever. Like I care.”

Yuri stomped off the dance floor and slumped down into a chair. He pulled out his phone and mashed down on the home button, his anger and frustration still evident on his face. Victor watched him leave and chuckled. _Seems like the kitten doesn’t like to lose. Not sure I can blame him. Next season will be interesting for him._

“Dance with me, Victor.”

Victor was snapped out of his thoughts by that simple request, and a hand grasping at his wrist. He turned to see that Katsuki was pulling him out onto the dance floor before he even had a chance to reply.

Yuuri grabbed his waist and lead him in a dance that was a passionate cross between a flamenco and a tango. Victor laughed in breathless delight as they crossed the floor together.

They separated briefly, posturing in traditional flamenco pose. Then Yuuri took Victor in his arms. Victor kicked his leg up and leaned back, trusting Yuuri to hold him up. Yuuri laid one hand on Victor’s outstretched leg and reached up to touch Victor’s cheek with his other hand.

Victor glanced at the hand as it came up to his face. Victor’s eyes went wide as he caught sight of the grouping of snowflakes on Yuuri’s bare wrist.

He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Yuuri. He felt a surge like an electric shock as Yuuri’s fingers touched his skin. Victor’s leg gave out from under him, sending him to the floor. Yuuri was pulled down with him. He was out cold, his hand falling limp next to Victor.

Victor cried out as pain unlike any other he had ever felt wracked his body. He shakily removed the gloves from his hands and clamped his hands around Yuuri’s wrists. The pain subsided. Victor noticed that Yuuri’s mark had filled in with a subtle silver color. _So pretty…_

Only then did he notice that they were surrounded by people. He looked up and searched the faces for one in particular. He sighed in relief as he sighted Christophe.

Chris said calmly, “Everyone, let’s give them some space, yes?”

There was a low muttering as the crowd backed off, leaving only Christophe, Mila, Yuri, and JJ standing next to them.

Chris knelt down beside Victor and softly said, “You bonded, didn’t you?”

Victor swallowed dryly and nodded. “What am I going to do?”

Yuri sneered down at them and said, “What the hell did you do, old man? Yakov is going to kill you when he finds out.”

Chris cursed softly. Looking up at Mila, he said, “Unfortunately, we do need to tell your coach.”

Mila nodded. She muttered, “I’ve never actually seen anyone bond before, except in the movies…” She pulled out her phone and called Yakov.

Chris sighed as he looked at the sleeping figure in Victor’s lap. “We need to contact his coach, too.”

JJ said, “I have Celestino’s number. I’ll call him.” He pulled out his phone to make the call.

Victor began to tremble slightly. _I feel… I don’t know… like my skin is too tight…_

Chris winced as he noticed Victor shaking. _Well, this is going to be awkward…_

Chris reached between the two and unbuttoned Yuuri’s dress shirt. Then he unbuttoned Victor’s vest and shirt. Victor raised his eyebrows.

Chris muttered, “We need to get you guys more skin contact. And there is no point in doing this twice. So, let go with one hand and while you get your clothes off that arm, I’ll get Yuuri’s shirt off. Then we’ll get the other side.”

Victor nodded. He followed Chris’s instructions, and after a few minutes, and no small amount of muffled cursing, they managed to get both men free of their shirts.

Victor pulled the sleeping man closer to him, Yuuri’s back to his chest. He visibly relaxed and Yuuri sighed contentedly in his sleep. _That feels better, but…_

Mila hit the end call button and sighed. “Yakov wasn’t happy. He said he’ll come talk to you about this tomorrow.” She included air quotes around the word “talk.”

Victor rolled his eyes. _That means that he’ll come yell at me tomorrow. Tch, it’s not like I did this on purpose…_

JJ was still on his phone. “Yes, let me ask him…” He pulled his phone away and asked Victor, “You’re taking Yuuri to your room, right? What’s your room number?”

Victor nodded. “Room 1201.”

JJ spoke into the phone, “Yes. Victor’s room is 1201.” He paused. “Yuuri’s still out, so I’ll tell Victor.”

He pressed the end call button. “Celestino said that he would come tomorrow to talk to Yuuri. Since he’s passed out, there’s no point in him coming tonight.”

Victor nodded. _Great, we’ll have to deal with both of them tomorrow._

JJ started gathering up Victor and Yuuri’s clothes that were scattered around the floor. Chris looked down at Victor and said, “We need to get you to your room.”

Victor nodded. “Thank you, Chris.”

Between the two of them, they managed to pick up the still passed out Yuuri and carried him to Victor’s room. JJ went with them, carrying the clothes and opening doors for the other men.

***

“Let’s get you guys settled.”

JJ closed the door behind them. Victor settled on the bed and scooted back, leaving space for Chris to set Yuuri in front of him. Victor cradled the unconscious man on his chest. His arms tightened around Yuuri. _It still doesn’t feel like enough. My skin, it still feels tight. It aches._

Chris sighed. “If he was awake, I would just leave. But, I don’t think you can finish undressing both of you by yourself. And, I don’t think that Sleeping Beauty there is going to wake tonight.”

JJ chuckled as he opened the closet to hang up Yuuri and Victor’s jackets. He had laid the dress shirts over a chair back and set the gloves on the dresser.

Victor held tight to Yuuri as Chris removed their shoes and socks. JJ took them and placed them out of the way. Chris looked up. “Now for the awkward part…”

Victor sighed. _I wish he was awake. I feel kind of bad undressing him like this while he is out. At least if he was awake, we could talk about it. But I know that we have to do this._

It took all three men to get Victor and Yuuri’s pants off. JJ sighed as he took the offending clothing and hung them in the closet with the jackets while Chris helped Victor get Yuuri and himself on the bed more comfortably.

Victor said, “Thank you, Chris. You seem to know quite a bit about bonding.”

Chris responded, “Of course. You know that I’m a romantic at heart, Victor.” He turned his head towards JJ. “But even between the two of us, I don’t think we would have managed without your help, JJ.”

JJ shrugged. “No problem. Yuuri is a nice guy. I know him from when I trained with Celestino. Plus, it could easily have happened to any of us.”

Chris nodded. “True. Even when you try to be careful, accidents happen.” He placed two bottles of water on the nightstand. “For in the morning. JJ, did you find Yuuri’s glasses? How about his phone?”

JJ rummaged in the pockets of Yuuri’s suit. “Found them.” He brought the items over to the nightstand. JJ punched the home button on Yuuri’s phone. “His phone is down to 20%.”

Victor sighed, his voice weary from the strain of bonding. “Mine still had about 60% or so last I checked. Plug his in with my charger if you can. My phone should be in my jacket pocket, could you put it on the nightstand for me?”

JJ nodded and plugged the phone in to charge, setting Yuuri’s glasses next to it. Chris found Victor’s phone and set it on the nightstand next to Yuuri’s. He placed two aspirins on the table next to the water. “Yuuri will need these in the morning, I think.”

Victor smiled sleepily. “Thank you both.”

Chris turned to JJ. “I think it is time for us to go, yes?” JJ nodded in response. They waved goodbye and made their way out of the room, hitting the lights before shutting the door behind them.

Victor sighed in relief as he pulled Yuuri up closer, resting the unconscious man on his chest. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am insane. I don't need another WIP, I need to finish the ones that I have going. But, here it is anyway. The Victuuri Soulmate AU that has been pinging around in my head for the last few months. I hope you enjoy it.


	2. The Aftermath

JJ and Chris returned to the ballroom. As soon as they entered, they were surrounded. Isabella came to stand beside JJ, and other skaters formed a loose circle around the two.

Mila asked, “How are they?”

Chris sighed, “I think they’ll be okay. We got them settled in Victor’s room, and they should be able to bond there comfortably. Right now, they need time, and rest. Someone will need to check on them in the morning. Bonding takes a lot of energy.”

Sara asked, “What even happened? I was watching them dance, but I looked away for a moment. Then the next thing I knew, they were on the ground and Victor was screaming. And poor Yuuri… is he going to be okay?”

Chris nodded as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Yes, I think Yuuri will be alright by tomorrow. He just passed out. As to what happened…”

He opened his phone’s photo album and showed the others the picture he had taken at the exact moment where Yuuri had touched Victor’s face.

Michele crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. “Idiots, bonding like that. They should have been more careful.”

Sara elbowed him in the side. “Mickey, be nice. It was an accident. And I think it is romantic. Imagine, finding your soulmate like this, with a chance encounter.”

Michele huffed. “This is not a fairy tale. And what if one of them didn’t _want_ to find their soulmate. Now they’re stuck, whether they like it or not”

Sara scowled at him. “Not everyone is like you, Mickey. Most people want to find their soulmate.”

Yuri said, “I agree with him. They’re idiots. And it’s gross. Who would want a soulmate?”

Mila flicked him on the shoulder with her fingers. “You’re only fourteen, Yuri. You don’t even have your mark yet. You might feel differently about it later.”

Yuri scoffed, “Not likely.”

Cao Bin cleared his throat and quietly said, “You all already know that this event is my last professional competition. I’m retiring, starting tomorrow. But I’ve not made the reason public. I met my soulmate. She is an elementary teacher in my hometown. I’m retiring so that we can bond. I couldn’t ask her to give up her dream to follow me around to competitions.”

Sara and Mila simultaneously said, “Aww…”

Yuri mumbled, “gross…”

JJ pulled Isabella in tighter and said, “I have an announcement, too. Isabella and I are soulmates. We’re going to bond in May, during the off season.”

Isabella looked up lovingly at JJ as she said, “I don’t want to wait until JJ’s career is over to be together. I’m happy helping him concentrate on his career. Plus, it means that I’ll get to go to all his competitions. I never thought I would get to travel like this.”

Sara smiled. “I’m so happy for you guys. I wish I could find my soulmate.”

Yuri said, “All of this talk about soulmates makes me want to hurl. I’m leaving.” He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets as he stomped out of the ballroom.

Chris said, “Well, I think this calls for a toast for all of our happy couples!”

He called over a server with champagne flutes. The man brought the tray over, and all of the skaters grabbed a glass. Michele was the last to claim a glass, with a little prodding from his sister.

Chris held up his glass. “A toast for those of us that have found our soulmates. And for those of us that haven’t, a toast in hopes that we will find them soon. Cheers!”

***

The first thing that Yuuri was aware of was the pounding of his head. _Great, I drank too much last night. I probably made a fool of myself in front of all of the other skaters. In front of Victor. Why am I like this?_ He kept his eyes closed tight, trying to fight off the tears he could feel building up behind them.

Then he noticed that he seemed to be sleeping on top of someone. His breath caught. _Oh, no. No no no… Did I hook up with someone?_ He could feel their bare chests touching and the gentle rise and fall of the other man’s breathing. Hot tears forced their way past his closed eyes.

_I can’t believe I did this…_

His cheeks were red with shame as he slowly cracked his eyes open. He winced as the dim light in the room sent daggers of pain through his head. The man beneath him moaned slightly in his sleep. He moved the arm that was lying across his back so that he could sit up enough to see who he was in bed with.

Yuuri’s mouth dropped open in shock. He felt like he couldn’t breath. _Oh, God_. _It’s Victor… No, this has to be a mistake. This can’t be happening… I have to get out… leave before he wakes up…_

Yuuri moved quietly, and placed one hand on the bed to support him. The other hand was clamped firmly on his mouth. _If I make any noise, he might wake up._ He slowly moved one leg off of Victor, pausing when Victor stirred in his sleep. _Please, don’t wake up. This is mortifying enough as is…_

Yuuri slowly moved his other leg off of Victor. The moment that contact between them was severed, Yuuri felt a wave of indescribable pain crash through his body. He lost his balance and flailed helplessly as his body tumbled off the bed. The pain of crashing onto the floor was lost in the intense pain coursing through his body. Yuuri didn't even realize that he was screaming as he writhed in agony on the floor.

The moment that Yuuri broke contact, Victor started awake as the pain coursed through him. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned his head just in time to see Yuuri tumble off the bed. Victor rolled to the edge of the bed, every inch of his body awash in excruciating pain. With one shaking hand, he reached down off the side and managed to grab Yuuri’s shoulder. The pain subsided. Victor let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Then he heard the sound of quiet sobbing coming from Yuuri.

Victor carefully crawled out of bed, making sure to maintain contact. _Something’s wrong. He’s in distress, and I don’t think it was the pain that caused it._ Victor sat on the floor and gathered Yuuri into his lap, pulling him tight into his chest. Yuuri sobbed harder as he curled in on himself. Victor could feel the emotional pain and humiliation that Yuuri was going through. _I nearly forgot. The bond means that we can feel each other’s emotions now._ _I’m not good with dealing with emotions. I’ve spent too many years trying to avoid dealing with my own._

At a loss, Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri. _I feel so helpless. I have no idea what I should do, or say, to make this better…_

***

At the same time, Mila and Sara were walking from the elevator towards Victor’s room. Sara asked, “So, how are we getting in there, anyway?”Mila pulled a key card out of her pocket. “Coach Yakov always makes sure that he has a key to Victor’s room when we go to competitions. He is notorious for oversleeping. Yakov asked me to come up this morning. He thought that they might not be awake, and he didn’t want to disturb them. If they are still asleep, we’ll just drop off the food. I have a note to leave for Victor if that turns out to be the case.”

Mila turned to look at Sara. “Thanks for coming up here with me. I don’t really know Yuuri very well, and I don’t want to make things awkward.”

Sara nodded. “Of course. I’m glad that I was able to come up with you before my flight this afternoon. I’ve known Yuuri since we were both juniors, and I wanted to check on him anyway.”

Mila stopped in front of room 1201. She swiped the key card to unlock the door, turning the knob as the light turned green. She quietly opened the door.

The sound of sobbing reached her ears. Mila flung the door open to reveal Victor sitting in the floor, a sobbing Yuuri in his lap. Sara’s hands flew to her mouth as she gasped.

Mila stepped into the room and asked, “Victor, what the _Hell_ did you do to him?”

Victor looked up. His eyes were wide, his face full of concern. His voice was quiet and scared as he stammered, “I didn’t… I don’t…”

Sara moved past Mila, and knelt down close to Yuuri. She softly said, “Yuuri, What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Yuuri looked up at her, his eyes red and still full of tears. He sobbed out, “This has been the worst week of my life…”

Victor felt a pang in his chest. _Oh, so it’s me. He doesn’t want to be bonded to me…_ Victor struggled to hold in his tears caused by the sudden ache.

Sara shushed Yuuri softly. “It will be okay. Tell me what happened.”

Yuuri nodded. “First, the day before the free skate, Mari called and told me that Vicchan was… was…” He started sobbing again.

Sara asked, “Mari, that’s your sister, right?” Yuuri nodded. “And Vicchan is your dog. What happened to Vicchan?”

Yuuri said quietly, “He was hit… by a car… he… he…” Yuuri turned his face into Victor’s shoulder as his body shook with sobs.

Sara whispered, “Oh, Yuuri… I’m so sorry…”

Mila said, “It seems to me that maybe that sister of yours could have waited until _after_ you competed to tell you that your dog died.”

Victor stiffened at Mila’s words as the realization set in. _His dog died!?! And he still competed?_ Tears formed in his eyes. _If anything happened to Makkachin, I would have to withdraw. I… just couldn’t…_

Victor pulled his arms tighter around the sobbing man and said quietly in his ear. “Yuuri, I am so sorry about your dog. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. How did you ever manage to compete?”

Yuuri cried, “But I didn’t! I messed up. I ruined my free skate. It’s never been _that_ bad before. I… came in last… and embarrassed myself in front of the world…”

He added quietly, “It was my first Grand Prix Final. I can’t believe I screwed it up.”

Sara said, “Oh no, you didn’t screw it up. You came in sixth. Yuuri, you are currently the sixth best skater in the world.”

Victor nodded in agreement. _I wish I could think of things to say like her. She is so good at this. Why am I so terrible at it?_

Yuuri looked up in surprise, his sobbing ceased. A few tears still ran from his eyes.  “I… I never thought about it like that…”

Sara smiled. “Of course not. You have always had a bad habit of going directly to the worst conclusion.”

Yuuri sniffled. “But then, last night.” He took a deep breath, tears threatening at his eyes again. “Celestino made me go to the banquet. I didn’t want to go. I… drank a lot of champagne.”

Tears started to fall from his eyes again. “I’m a really bad drunk… I get all kinds of crazy, and then… I don’t remember what happened the next morning. This isn’t the first time that this has happened to me.”

His breath hitched as he struggled to continue. “I _know_ we bonded. And I _know_ it was my fault. It has to be. And now… now…” He hung his head as he quietly said. “Now you’re stuck with me…”

Victor’s brain shut down for a moment as he attempted to process what Yuuri had said. _He doesn’t remember?_ Victor shook his head slightly. _No, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s not upset that we bonded because he didn’t want me. He’s upset because he thought I wouldn’t want him!_

Victor shushed Yuuri gently. “Yuuri, I’m glad that we bonded. I’ve been looking for you for seven years. Since my mark appeared on your sixteenth birthday. November 29th is an important day to me, too. It was the day I learned that you were out there, and all I had to do was find you.”

Yuuri looked up at Victor and blinked in disbelief. “Huh?”

Victor smiled as he gently brushed away the tears still clinging to Yuuri’s face. “Believe me, I am elated that this happened. And I’m so happy that it’s you.”

Yuuri shakily said, “But, I’m average. I’m just a dime-a-dozen skater. You deserve someone better…”

Victor lowered his forehead to touch Yuuri’s and whispered, “Don’t. Don’t you dare think like that. The universe doesn’t make mistakes. We’re meant to be together. And trust me, you are not average.”

Yuuri scoffed gently.

Victor continued, “Yuuri, your skating is beautiful. It tells such a compelling story. Your footwork is flawless. I’ve wanted to meet you, and get to know you, for quite some time. And now, I’ll get to learn everything about you.”

He gently grasped Yuuri’s left hand and brought it up. Victor kissed Yuuri’s wrist, where his snowflake mark was. Yuuri’s eyes grew wide. _My mark. It’s silver. I mean, I knew we bonded. That pain, it couldn’t be anything else. Especially since it ended when he touched me. But… I didn’t really believe it until now._

Yuuri thought, _I feel this warm feeling in my chest. I think it is coming from Victor? Could it be love? Maybe he does really want me..._

Yuuri rested his head on Victor’s shoulder and sighed. Victor smiled. _I think the worst is over. He’s still in a lot of emotional pain, but it is not as overwhelming as it was. It is more like an ache. I just have to convince him that I really do want him. I can do that, right?_

Mila cleared her throat. “Well, it appears that you guys will be okay now. I’ll tell Yakov to wait until this afternoon to see you guys. He already cancelled our flights, Victor. And I believe that your coach did the same, Yuuri.”

Sara nodded. “We’ll just leave you alone for now. Concentrate on bonding. We all want you to form a deep, strong bond.”

Mila moved to the nightstand and set the brown bag she had been carrying on it. “Here’s your breakfast, when you’re ready. It should be fine if you don’t want it now. Call me if you need anything.” She handed Victor one of the water bottles. “Make him drink this, at least.”

Victor took the bottle and nodded slowly. “Thank you both.”

Sara said, “Yuuri, I’m flying home this afternoon. If you need me, just call. Okay?”

Yuuri nodded. “Okay. Thank you for talking to me, Sara. I feel a little better.”

Sara nodded. “No problem. See you guys later.”

Mila and Sara made their way out, closing the door gently behind them. Victor thought apprehensively, _I don’t know how to get Yuuri to talk to me the way that Sara did. What if I screw this up?_

Victor noticed a pounding in his head. _Hmm, that won’t do. The combination of his hangover and his crying has given him a terrible headache. And his skin feels cold. These are things I know how to fix._

Victor uncapped the water bottle. “Yuuri, drink this. You’ll feel better.”

Yuuri nodded as he took the bottle. “Thank you.” He took a long drink from the bottle as Victor struggled to try to reach the aspirin Chris had left on the nightstand the night before. His fingers brushed the pills and he pushed them closer to the edge, grabbing them. He handed those to Yuuri as well.

Yuuri took the pills and finished off the water. Victor asked, “Hungry?”

Yuuri’s face turned pale. “No. You can eat if you want, but nothing for me right now.”

Victor smiled softly. “Ok, we’ll eat later. Tired?”

Yuuri nodded. “I’m exhausted. Can we go back to sleep for a while?”

Victor nodded. “Just slide off my lap some… Yea, hold on to my hands like that, so we can stand up and get back into the bed.”

The two managed to stand up and resettle on the bed. Victor laid down first and Yuuri resettled on his chest, arms wrapped around each other. They both sighed as Victor settled the blankets across them. Victor thought _This is what we needed. To be back like this. It feels so right._

Yuuri’s mind was still a mess. _This feels right, but odd. And I’m still on edge. I don’t want him to feel unwanted. That is the last thing that I want to do. It is him that shouldn’t want me. But, he remembered my birthday. He remembered_ **_that_ ** _birthday. Maybe he wasn’t lying when he said that he had been looking for me for seven years?_

_Oh my God, I can’t believe that my soulmate is actually Victor Nikiforov!_

As Victor’s breathing slowed, Yuuri looked up at his face. Victor was already asleep. Yuuri caught himself smiling as he laid his head on Victor’s chest. _Victor is my soulmate. And I am his._ His body exhausted, Yuuri slipped into a deep, restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legal drinking age is 16 for wine and beer in Russia, and 19 for alcohol. Since champagne is a type of wine, even JJ and Isabella, at 18, are legal for the champagne toast.


	3. Reassurance

Victor came around slowly, his thoughts still fuzzy with sleep. He felt someone sleeping on top of him. As his thoughts cleared, his heart skipped a beat.  _ Yuuri.  _ Victor opened his eyes, a smile forming on his face as he caught sight of Yuuri’s face, relaxed with sleep.  _ It’s not a dream. We’re bonded. I finally found my soulmate. _

Victor noticed that Yuuri’s eyes still looked puffy from crying, and under Yuuri’s eyes were terrible dark circles, evidence of his physical and emotional exhaustion.  _ My poor Yuuri. This has all come as quite the shock for you. I’m so sorry. I wish that there was something I could do.  _ Victor gently brushed a stray hair away from Yuuri’s face.

Yuuri stirred slightly. Victor thought,  _ I didn’t mean to wake him. He was so peaceful.. And now… as he is waking, I can feel pain coming from him. It is not as intense as it was earlier, but… I hate that he is hurting like this.  _ Victor sighed heavily.  _ How much of that pain is because of me? _

Yuuri’s eyes opened slowly. He groaned quietly. Victor said softly, “If you’re still tired, you can go back to sleep.”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I think I should try to stay awake for a bit. Maybe eat something?” His stomach growled loudly, and Yuuri blushed.

Victor resisted the urge to chuckle. “Okay.” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s 11:00 right now. We can either eat the breakfast the girls brought us earlier, or we can call someone to see if we could get something warm, and probably heartier, for lunch.”

Yuuri’s stomach grumbled again. “I think I’d like something warm, if you don’t mind waiting.”

Victor nodded as he reached towards the nightstand to grab his phone. As he picked it up, he thought,  _ who should I call? Mila said I could call her if I needed anything, but I hate to bother her again. Especially since we haven’t even eaten what she brought us yet. Maybe Chris… but his flight was early this morning. He’s probably halfway back to Switzerland by now. _

Victor hit the home button and chuckled. Yuuri asked, “What is it?”

Victor smiled as he said, “A message from Christophe.”

“What did he say?”

Victor read the text aloud, translating from the French Chris had sent it in into English for Yuuri, “I rescheduled my flight for tomorrow. There was no way that I could leave without knowing that my dearest friend and his soulmate were going to be okay. Text me when you two wake.”

Victor typed a message back to Chris. “We’re awake. We’d appreciate it if you could bring us some lunch. We’re both starving.”

Chris answered back immediately. “No problem. Don’t worry about letting me in. I nicked your extra key card out of your wallet last night. See you two in a few.”

Victor set down his phone. “Chris is going to go get us some food. He’ll be here shortly.”

Yuuri sighed. “You’re lucky. You have so many people here for you. I don’t have anyone…”

Victor frowned as he felt a sudden pang of loneliness from Yuuri. “You have your coach. He’s not going to leave without you, Yuuri. I’m sure he’ll be by later.”

Yuuri shrugged. “It’s not the same.” A few tears fell from his eyes and made their way down his cheeks. Yuuri whispered, “I wish my mom was here.”

Victor let out a slow breath as he sat up and gathered Yuuri into his arms.  _ Oh… His family. I almost forgot what it was like to have one, outside of the rink. Is there anything that I can do…? _

His eyes fell on Yuuri’s cell phone.  _ Ah! He should call her. That will help, I’m sure. _ Victor reached over, unplugged the device from the charger, and handed it to Yuuri.

“Call your mom. You need it. And she needs to know what happened before it is all over the news.”

Yuuri smiled slightly, then frowned. “I’m sorry, but my mom doesn’t speak English well, so we’ll be talking in Japanese.”

Victor shook his head. “That’s okay. This is a private conversation between the two of you.”

Yuuri nodded. “Thank you, Victor.” Yuuri unlocked his phone and hit the call button next to his mother’s number.

The phone rang. Yuuri could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest.  _ Oh, God. I don’t know what to say to Mom when she answers. What  _ **_can_ ** _ I tell her? This is such a mess… _

Victor, feeling the anxiety from Yuuri, whispered softly in his ear, “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Yuuri nodded slowly and took a deep breath as the call connected. On the other end of the line, his mother said, “Hello?”

Yuuri asked, “Hello, Mom?”

She asked, “Yuuri? Are you already in Sapporo? I didn’t think your plane arrived until later tonight.”

Yuuri took a deep breath. “No, Mom. I’m still in Russia. In fact, I’m going to be here for longer than I expected.”

His mother gasped. “Yuuri, what happened? Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I’m okay. But… I’m sorry, Mom. I… messed up…” Tears started to fall from his eyes, and Victor pulled him tighter to his chest, rubbing small circles with his thumbs on Yuuri’s back. He choked out, “It was an accident. I don’t even know what happened…”

Her voice was thick with concern as she said, “Oh, Yuuri. Sweetie, it will be okay. Just tell me, what happened?”

Yuuri took a deep breath and said shakily, “Mom, I… I’m bonded.”

His mother squealed. “Oh, sweetie, that is great news. It’s not something for you to be upset about. Unless, do you dislike your soulmate? Or does your soulmate dislike you?”

Yuuri yelped. “No! No, I like him. And…” Yuuri paused and glanced momentarily up at Victor’s face. “And I think he likes me, too.”

She asked, “Then what is the problem, Yuuri? This should be a happy thing.”

Yuuri sighed. “Mom, it’s Victor. I bonded with Victor Nikiforov.”

His mother replied, “Oh, that handsome skater that you admire so much. The one on the posters all over your walls. I’m sorry, Yuuri, but am I missing something? I would have thought that you would be delighted to be his soulmate.”

Yuuri gulped. “I am. But, Mom, he’s Victor. He deserves better than me.”

“Oh, sweetie. You’re soulmates. He could never have anything better. And as long as you love and support each other, how could anyone be better?”

Yuuri was speechless for a moment. His throat felt tight, like he was on the verge of tears.  _ She’s right. We’re supposed to be together, aren’t we?  _ He glanced up into Victor’s face to see a gentle smile on his lips. _ Victor said that earlier, too. And that smile, it looks different than the ones he usually wears. More genuine. _

Yuuri cleared his throat. “Thanks, Mom. I think that was what I needed to hear.”

She said, “I’m sure everything will be fine. You two will work it out, with a little time and patience.”

Yuuri nodded. “And I’ll let you know once we do. Um, I’m not sure when I’ll get to come home. I have to think about Victor’s season now, too.”

His mother replied, “Of course. Once you know, just call. We’ll be happy to see you, and to meet Victor.”

Yuuri smiled as a few tears rolled down his face. “Thanks, Mom. I should probably go, we’re still bonding. Tell Dad and Mari for me, please? I love you.”

She replied, “I’ll tell them. Tell Victor that we are looking forward to meeting him. I love you, too.”

Yuuri hit the end call button and let out a slow breath as he wiped away the tears on his face. He said quietly, “Well, that went better than I thought it would. My mom said she is looking forward to meeting you, by the way. We could visit my family after the World Championships, if you’re okay with it.”

Victor smiled. “Yuuri, I can’t wait to meet your family. It’s a shame, with all of our competitions, that we’ll have to wait until then to go.”  _ I’m happy that they are okay with us. I have heard too many nasty stories. Families that cast out their children over bonding with the “wrong” person. Like anyone can control who they bond with. _

Victor shook his head slightly to clear it.  _ Enough of that. I don’t want Yuuri to pick up on my negative thoughts. Talking to his mother seems to have helped him considerably. The pain coming from him has lessened. His family, and his mother in particular, seem to be very important to Yuuri. But, he’s been living in America for a while. I wonder…  _ “How long has it been since you’ve been home?”

“Um, I think it has been almost five years now…”

Victor eyes grew wide in shock. “Five years?!? Why?”

Yuuri shrugged. “Plane tickets from Detroit to Japan are really expensive. All my money had to go towards college, and coaching fees. I can only afford to go to competitions because of my sponsors. Going home was out of the question.”

Victor frowned.  _ He acts like it’s not a big deal, but…  _ “Yuuri, this hurts you quite a bit, doesn’t it?”

Yuuri nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m just used to making it sound like it’s okay.”

Victor thought,  _ trust me, I know how that is.  _ “Yuuri, you don’t have to do that with me. Tell me when something bothers you. I’ll be able to feel it anyway.”

Yuuri started slightly. _He’s right. With this emotion sharing thing, we will be able to tell what the other person is feeling. He could definitely tell that being away from home that long bothered me._ _I’m an idiot._

Yuuri sighed. “Sorry. I’ll try to be honest with you.”

Victor pulled him in closer to his chest and quietly said, “It’s okay. Just, let me help you.”

Yuuri nodded. He laid his head on Victor’s shoulder and sighed deeply. His eyes burned with unshed tears.  _ I’m such a mess. All I’ve managed to do since all of this started is cause problems. _

Victor closed his eyes in frustration.  _ I thought we were making progress. But now, it feels like we’re back at square one. He’s hurting, and I don’t know how to help him. _

Victor’s breath hitched slightly as he thought,  _ Maybe he didn’t want to bond. Maybe he would have been happier if he never found his soulmate. I’ve felt nothing but negative emotions from him since we bonded… _

_ … Or, maybe despite what he said, he really didn’t want to be bonded to me… _

He clamped his eyes closed tightly against the tears that formed in his eyes at the thought. Not knowing what to say to each other, they sat in strained silence. The fact that they held onto each other so closely was still a necessity, but as Yuuri moved his arms around to Victor’s back, it felt like a balm to his battered heart.

***

Victor was unsure how long they had been sitting in silence before he heard the door unlock and slowly open. Chris’s voice reached his ears with a cheerful, “How are the lovebirds doing this morning…?”

Chris’s voice trailed off as he opened the door fully and caught sight of the two miserable figures clutching each other on the bed. Chris scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he stepped into the room, allowing the door to close behind him. “Hmm, it seems that I arrived at a bad time?”

Victor shook his head. “No, Chris. It’s okay. Things have just been a bit… rough.”

Yuuri stiffened at Victor’s words.  _ My fault. It’s all my fault. What is wrong with me? _

Chris walked further into the room, grabbing the desk chair as he walked past. He said, “Well, I have something that might help a little.” He held up the plastic bag of take out containers. “Who’s hungry?”

Yuuri’s stomach growled loudly as the smell of food reached his nose. Victor resisted the urge to chuckle as he said, “We’re starving. Thank you, Chris.”

Chris pulled the chair up close to the bed and sat down in it, facing Victor and Yuuri. “Think nothing of it. I found a charming café just down the street that serves both Russian and Western cuisine. I just hope that I picked something that you like, Yuuri.”

Yuuri said, “At this point, I think I could eat just about anything. What did you bring?”

Chris sat the bag down on the nightstand, and pulled out three styrofoam containers. “I’ve got beef stroganoff, Chicken Marsala with linguine, and a hamburger with fries.”

Victor said quietly to Yuuri, “You can choose first.”  _ Chris chose things that he knew I liked so that Yuuri would have a choice. What did I do to deserve such a good friend? _

Victor mouthed  _ merci  _ to Chris. Chris just smiled and winked.

Yuuri took a moment to think.  _ None of those things are on the diet plan, but it’s not like I’ve really been following it that well lately. Plus, it  _ **_is_ ** _ right after a competition,  _ **_and_ ** _ we’re using a lot of energy trying to form this bond. So… _

Yuuri said, “I think that I’ll take the burger, please. Thank you for bringing us lunch, Christophe.”

Chris nodded as he opened the top container. “No problem. Victor, which do you want?”

Victor said, “I’ll take the beef stroganoff.”

Chris handed him the container he had just checked, along with a plastic fork. He opened the second container and handed it to Yuuri, keeping the third one for himself.

Victor gently nudged Yuuri. He said quietly, “We’ll need to move a little to be able to eat.”

Yuuri nodded.  _ I really don’t want to, but I know that he’s right.  _ They moved so that they were sitting next to each other, one side completely touching. It was not terribly comfortable, but it would allow them to eat.

Chris resisted the urge to sigh as he watched them.  _ What is wrong with them? They looked so miserable when I first came in. I would have thought that both of them would have been delighted with what happened. I know that Victor has been looking for his soulmate almost as long as I have searched for mine. And it is no secret that Yuuri admires Victor greatly. Anyone can tell that from watching him skate. _

_ And yet… they practically radiate unhappiness. I don’t know Yuuri that well, but if I had to guess, I would say he’s been crying. A lot from the looks of it. And Victor looks defeated. What happened when they woke? Are they fighting? Did I misread Yuuri completely? Or… _

Chris paused eating for a moment and said. “So… have you talked to your coaches yet?”

Victor shook his head. “No, Yakov said he would wait until this afternoon. We’ve not heard from Coach Celestino yet.”

Chris nodded.  _ So it’s not their coaches. Maybe family? Victor was an only child, and his parents are gone, so that can’t be it. That leaves Yuuri’s. God, don’t tell me… _

“Did you call your family, Yuuri?”

Yuuri nodded. “My mom was excited for us. We’re going to visit after the Worlds.”

Chris sighed in relief.  _ Thank God. His family accepted them. Unlike poor Luca. When he bonded with Adrien, both of their families disowned them… I wish I could have helped them more. _

Chris shook his head, clearing it of the depressing thoughts.  _ I don’t know what’s going on between them, but, with as much support as they have, I think they will be okay. After watching them dance last night, I can tell that they are at least attracted to each other. _

He smirked as he noticed Yuuri unconsciously leaning in to Victor’s side.  _ It may not be love, yet. But at least it’s a start. _


	4. Challenges

Christophe cleaned up the remnants of lunch, stuffing the now empty take out containers and other trash into the plastic bag. He said, “I should probably go. You two look like you need some more contact, and I would hate to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Victor smiled. “Thanks for everything, Chris. Sorry to be such a bother.”

Chris chuckled lightly. “Victor, you have  _ never _ been a bother. And I am absolutely delighted that you found your soulmate. I can only hope that I will be so lucky. You two were made for each other.”

Yuuri’s eyes went wide.  _ That’s right… We’re soulmates. We were literally made for each other. _

Chris smiled.  _ Hmm, it seems that might have struck a chord with Yuuri. I’m still not sure what the issue is, but if I can give him even a little nudge in the right direction, I’ll consider it a success. _

Chris stood and picked up the bag of trash. He moved the chair back to the desk and moved closer to the door. “I’ll keep your extra key for now. Call me if you two need anything, okay?”

Victor replied, “Thank you.”

Chris waved goodbye as he opened the door and walked out of the room. Yuuri said, “Christophe is a really good guy. You’re lucky to have him as a friend.”

Victor smiled. “He is, isn’t he.”  _ Hmm, I’m starting to get that feeling again, like my skin is too tight.  _ He noticed that Yuuri seemed to be squirming a bit as well.  _ We need more contact for the bond to form well. _

Victor said, “Chris was right, we need more body contact. So, let’s move into a more comfortable position, shall we? Then we can talk more. Do you want to sit up for a while? Or would you rather lie down on the bed?”

Yuuri thought for a moment.  _ It’s nice laying on top of him, but when we sit up and he holds me in his arms… I can almost pretend that he cares about me. That maybe… he could, eventually… love me… _

Yuuri hesitantly said, “Um, if we’re going to talk, maybe we should sit up? So we can see each other better?” He paused and added quietly, “If that’s okay with you…”

Victor nodded. “I’d like that.” They carefully moved back to the head of the bed. Victor pulled Yuuri into his lap and sighed in relief. Yuuri wrapped his arms around Victor.

Yuuri took a breath. He hesitated a moment before he said, “I’m sorry that I can’t remember last night. I can’t believe that I was so drunk that I can’t even remember bonding with you…” Tears started to fall from his eyes.

Victor’s heart clenched at the sight. “No, Yuuri. Please, don’t cry. It’s okay. I don’t care if you never remember. The important thing is that we bonded.”

Yuuri looked up at Victor. “Really?”  _ I thought for sure that he would be upset about this. But, he looks genuinely concerned. _

Yuuri whispered, “I almost hate to ask, but… I need to know. Can you tell me what happened?”

Victor nodded. “Of course.”  _ Where should I start? I guess I might as well tell him everything... _

_ “ _ As you already know, you were very drunk. After quite a lot of champagne, you started dancing around the room.”

Yuuri mumbled, “Oh, God. How embarrassing…”

Victor smiled. “On the contrary. You are an excellent dancer. I was completely enthralled, believe me.”

Yuuri sighed. “What else did I do?”  _ How did dancing around the room lead to us bonding? That’s a rather large leap… _

Victor thought for a moment. “Well, you challenged the Russian Yuri to a dance off. Which you won.” Victor chuckled. “Yuri was furious.”

Yuuri smiled. “I can imagine. I have the feeling that he hates to lose at anything.”

Victor nodded. “Too true. I feel like next season, when he moves up to the senior division, will be eye opening for him.” He shook his head. “But enough about him.”

Victor gently grasped Yuuri’s left arm and moved it so he could take his hand. “Then you took my hand and asked me to dance. It was… passionate. Exhilarating. I’ve never felt like that before. And then, you reached out and touched my cheek.” He moved Yuuri’s hand to cup his cheek. “Like this.”

Yuuri blushed furiously, the red coloring his face and neck down to his collarbone.  _ Oh, God. I can’t believe that I did that… _

He looked away from Victor as he choked out, “I… I’m so sorry, Victor… It’s all my fault…”

Victor squeezed Yuuri’s hand gently. He said softly, “Yuuri. Please, don’t be sorry. I’m not.”

Yuuri looked up into Victor’s smiling face. A warm, calming feeling gently washed through the bond, making its way through all of his negative emotions.  _ He means it. He’s happy that we bonded… Maybe this wasn’t a mistake… _

Yuuri felt some of his unease melt away, like a weight being lifted off his chest. He smiled.  _ Of course it’s not a mistake. We’re soulmates. There are no mistakes with soulmates. _

“Thank you for telling me, Victor. I…” He hesitated, “I may never remember. But at least now I know what happened.”  _ I’m not sorry that we bonded, not anymore. And now, I know for sure that he isn’t,  either. _

Victor gently kissed Yuuri’s palm.  _ I hate this for him. I can’t imagine, not being able to remember bonding. It is such an important moment… _

Victor smiled as he loosened his hold on Yuuri’s hand. He asked, “Feeling better?”

Yuuri nodded, a slight smile on his face.

Victor asked, “Then, would it be okay if I kissed you? Just on the forehead?”  _ Please? _

Yuuri’s smile widened. “I think I’d like that.”

Victor closed his eyes as he pressed his lips lightly to Yuuri’s forehead. Yuuri felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He blushed, his cheeks a bright red.

Victor opened his eyes and smiled.  _ Good, we’ve made some progress. It seems that he is much more comfortable with what has happened. _

Yuuri rested his head on Victor’s shoulder. He stifled a yawn.  _ My eyes feel so heavy. How can I still be this tired? We’ve slept most of the day already! _

_ It must be the bonding process... _

Victor sighed. _Poor Yuuri,_ _he’s still exhausted. Truthfully, so am I. We should probably get some more sleep._

“Yuuri, why don’t we lay back down and get some sleep?”

Yuuri nodded drowsily. Victor carefully shifted down, gently moving the already half-asleep Yuuri onto his chest. He moved his arms around Yuuri’s back, holding him close. Yuuri sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Yuuri’s face relaxed as his breathing slowed.

Victor chuckled softly.  _ He’s already asleep. _

Lulled by the soft, rhythmic sound of Yuuri’s breathing, it was not long before Victor succumbed to sleep as well.

***

The door opened, and started Victor awake. He blinked owlishly as he turned his head towards the door. The light from the hallway backlit the figure standing there.  _ Oh, great. Yakov. This will be fun… _

Victor glanced down.  _ And Yuuri is still asleep. He still looks so very tired. I hate to wake him. But, I figure this conversation will get loud, so there is little chance of him sleeping through it. I would rather wake him now than have him startled out of sleep when Yakov starts yelling at me. _

Victor said, “Wake up, Yuuri. We have a guest.”

Yuuri stirred. “Hmm?”

Victor smiled. “Yuuri, I hate to wake you. But my coach is here.”

Yuuri sluggishly opened one eye. He snapped awake as he recognized the man standing in the doorway.  _ Coach Feltsman! That’s right, he’s Victor’s coach, and notorious for his “lectures”.  _ Yuuri suppressed a groan as he moved, allowing Victor to sit up.

Victor pulled Yuuri into his lap and mentally steeled himself.  _ This is going to be bad. Yakov is undoubtedly angry. The fact that he waited this long to come is testament enough to that. _

Yakov growled out in Russian, “Vitya, how could you be so careless? Do you have any idea how this will affect the rest of your season? Your career? Did you even stop to  _ think _ ?”

Yuuri’s eyes went wide.  _ He sounds so angry… It’s my fault, and Victor is the one catching the blame.  _ He closed his eyes and fought back the tears threatening to escape.

Victor felt Yuuri react to Yakov’s harsh tone.  _ Even though he doesn’t understand the words, it is still affecting him. Damn it, Yakov, can’t you use a little tact? Can’t you tell he was already on edge? _

Victor narrowed his eyes, the only outward sign of his anger. “It was an accident. You’re acting like I did this on purpose.”

Yakov crossed his arms over his chest. “Tch, you’ve always been infatuated with the idea of soulmates. Somehow I find it hard to believe that you just  _ happened  _ to accidentally bond.”

Victor glared at Yakov. “How could you  _ possibly _ believe, even for a moment, that I would, that we would, do this on purpose? We both know that this will irrevocably change our lives, our careers. And when have I  _ ever _ done anything that might affect my career?”

Yakov spat out, “Has it even occured to you that the nationals for Russia and Japan are  _ at the same time _ ?”

Victor went stiff.  _ What?  _ He looked down at Yuuri.  _ One of us is going to have to give up the rest of our season? _

Yuuri looked up at Victor in surprise. “Victor?”  _ I can’t tell what they are saying. But… he’s gone pale _ .  _ Like he’s in shock _ . “Victor, what’s wrong?”

Victor took a deep, steadying breath. “Yakov just reminded me that our national competitions are at the same time. We can’t both compete.”

Yuuri’s eyes filled with tears.  _ No! No, no, no… This can’t be happening. I can’t let my mistake cost Victor his season… _

Yuuri’s voice was barely audible as he haltingly said, “I want you to compete.”

A flare of pain and disappointment came through the bond. Victor closed his eyes briefly. “Yuuri…”

_ I don’t want to cost you your season. _

Yuuri shook his head. “No.  _ I  _ was the one that caused this.  _ I  _ should be the one to pay the price. Not you.”

Yakov hummed in agreement. “You should listen to him, Vitya.”

Victor glared at Yakov. “Stay out of this. This is something that  _ we _ need to decide, without you hounding us!”

Yakov replied, “This would be the best solution, and you know it. Just look at it realistically. After a performance like that free skate…”

Yuuri winced.  _ He’s right. Victor is much more likely to medal at  _ **_any_ ** _ competition than I am. The pressure gets to me, and I always mess it up…  _ His breath hitched, and tears fell from his eyes.

The immense sadness and insecurity flowing from Yuuri hit Victor in a massive wave. Victor pulled Yuuri tighter to his chest. His eyes flashed with anger. “Get. Out.”

“What?”

Victor’s voice was eerily calm. “You heard me. Get out. I won’t allow you to talk to him like that.”

Yakov pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re being irrational. There is no point talking to you when you are like this. Call me when you have come to your senses.” He turned and yanked the door forcefully open, and allowed it to close behind him as he stormed off.

Victor noticed that Yuuri was shaking. He could feel the fear and pain coming from Yuuri. Victor took a calming breath and said softly, “Yuuri, I’m sorry. I lost my temper.”

Victor cupped Yuuri’s cheek with his palm. He gently rubbed Yuuri’s cheek with his thumb, wiping away the tears that lingered there. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I… just couldn’t let him talk to you like that.”

Yuuri shook his head. He cried, “No, he’s right. I  _ should  _ sit out the rest of the season.”

Victor dropped his hand from Yuuri’s cheek. He gathered up Yuuri in his arms and pulled him in tight to his chest. “Yuuri…”

Yuuri sniffled as tears rolled down his cheeks. “No, Victor. This was all my fault. Let me take responsibility, please. I know that you don’t regret what happened.” He gave Victor a watery smile. “Honestly, I don’t either. But, one of us has to make this sacrifice. And it should be me.”

Victor protested, “But…”

Yuuri shook his head. “But nothing. It is not like I’m going to retire. I’ll still train.” He sighed. “Maybe some time away from competition will help me get my head on straight again. And I can start working on next season’s routines.”

Victor said, “It’s not that simple.”

Yuuri replied, “Yes, it is.”

Victor shook his head. “Yuuri. If you do this, if you give up your season, it will turn your entire life upside down.” He sighed. “Have you thought about what all you will be giving up?”

Yuuri’s eyes went wide in realization.  _ Oh. If I give up my season so that Victor can compete, I’ll have to move to Saint Petersburg so that he can train. I’ll have to leave Detroit, and end my training with Celestino.  _ He winced slightly.  _ It also means that I won’t be able to finish my last semester of college. _

Yuuri asked quietly, “Do you think that Coach Feltsman will agree to train me? He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Victor said, “Yakov is just frustrated. This was an issue he had hoped would not come up until after I retired. He waited to bond with his soulmate until they were both retired, after all.”

Yuuri nodded.  _ That’s right. He is bonded to Lilia Baranovskaya. They waited for years, both knowing that they were each other’s soulmates but never acting on it. _

Victor continued, “I’m sure that Yakov will train you, Yuuri. He just needs a little time to calm down.”

Yuuri nodded. “I should probably call Celestino.”

Victor grabbed Yuuri’s phone off of the nightstand and handed it to him.

Yuuri unlocked the phone and found Celestino’s number in his contacts. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yuuri hit the call button.

The phone had barely rung once before the call connected. The voice on the other end said, “Yuuri, are you alright?”

Yuuri said, “Yes, Coach. Um, I’m really sorry about what happened last night…”

Celestino replied, “Yuuri, I’m just glad that you’re okay. And I’m genuinely happy for you and Victor.”

Yuuri smiled. “Thank you. Can you come to Victor’s room? I think we need to talk.”

Celestino said, “Alright. I’ll be up in about 10 minutes.”

The call disconnected. Yuuri handed the phone back to Victor, who set it back on the nightstand.

Victor said, “That seemed to go well.”

Yuuri nodded. “Yes. Celestino is on his way. He said that he was happy that we bonded.” Yuuri fidgeted slightly.

Victor asked, “What’s wrong, Yuuri? You seem nervous about something.”

Yuuri sighed. “There is something that you should probably know about Celestino before he gets here.”

Victor raised an eyebrow in question. “What is it?”

Yuuri said, “Um, so this is not a big secret or anything. He just doesn’t advertise it because he doesn’t want other people’s pity.”

“Celestino’s soulmate… He knew who it was. But Celestino was still competing. And his soulmate, I think he was a professional athlete, too. They were going to wait until they retired to bond.” He paused. “But before they could… his soulmate… died.”

“Celestino is bondless…”


	5. Goodbye

Victor sat in stunned silence.  _ He’s bondless?  _ Victor let out a slow, shaky breath.  _ I’ve only met the man a few times, but he always seemed pleasant, happy even. I would have never imagined… _

Yuuri frowned slightly. “Victor?”

Victor looked at Yuuri questioningly. “Hmm?”

Yuuri said, “Please, don’t say anything. I know what happened to him is terrible. But he has learned to live with it.”

Victor sighed. “I just… I can’t imagine what he went through. It’s horrific.” He pulled Yuuri closer to his chest and closed his eyes.

“I can’t even imagine how I would have felt if something had happened to you before we bonded. If my mark had turned gray before we met…”

_ … I’m not sure I would have survived it… _

Yuuri took a deep, slow breath. “I know. But we don’t have to worry about that. Never again.” He looked up at Victor and gave him a small smile.

Yuuri continued, “Celestino doesn’t like to talk about it, but I thought you ought to know. Just in case. But please, promise me that you won’t bring it up, okay?”

Victor nodded. “Okay. I won’t say anything.”

_ Yuuri is so earnest about this. He really cares about people. _

Victor pressed his lips together into a thin line.  _ I can behave myself and keep my mouth shut. Yuuri needs an opportunity to talk to his coach, probably for the last time. Without my interference. Surely I can give him that. _

Yuuri sighed. “Thank you…”

A knock on the door interrupted Yuuri. He turned his head towards the sound. “That would be him. He got here faster than I expected.”

Victor said, “He doesn’t have a key. We have to let him in.”

Yuuri nodded and called out, “We’ll be there in a minute, Coach.”

A muffled voice from the other side of the door replied, “It’s okay. Take your time.”

Yuuri asked quietly, “How are we going to do this?”  _ We’ve spent pretty much all day in bed, except for when I fell out of it.  _ He blushed a little at the memory.  _ So far we’ve been fortunate enough that all our visitors have been able to let themselves in. _

Victor thought for a moment. “Hmm, let’s scoot over to the side of the bed. Then, you can stand up and I’ll hold on to you. I think that if I grasp your shoulders, that we can cross the room. It won’t be very comfortable…”

Yuuri’s brow wrinkled in question.  _ Oh, because of the lack of contact… _

“Then we’ll have to do this as quickly as we can. Ready?”

Victor nodded. He reluctantly let go of Yuuri and allowed him to crawl off of his lap.  _ I already feel anxious, even though we are still touching… This is going to be awful. _

Yuuri scooted to the edge of the bed, with Victor following close behind. He kept a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder as they approached the edge. Yuuri glanced at Victor and asked, “Ready?”

Victor nodded, and together they stood. Yuuri slowly walked towards the door, while Victor kept his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders.

_ It’s enough to keep the pain at bay, but I want more. It feels like I’m going to come out of my skin. _

Yuuri opened the door to reveal Celestino standing in the hallway. Celestino had a large black suitcase, as well as a training bag, a hangup bag, and a backpack. Yuuri said, “Oh, you brought my stuff. Thank you, Celestino.” Yuuri moved out of the way, holding the door open. Celestino came in, rolling the bag into the room. He set it to the side, placing the training bag and backpack on the floor next to it. He went to the closet and hung up the last bag there, next to Victor’s costumes and their suits.

Celestino said, “Yes, I checked you out of your room this morning. I figured that if you were here with Victor, that you wouldn’t need it anymore. And there is no point in you paying for a room that you’re not using.”

Yuuri and Victor moved back to the bed, eager to reestablish contact.  _ Celestino thought of everything, as always. And he put it in a way so that Victor wouldn’t necessarily realize that money is a major concern for me. Celestino knows that I can’t afford to pay for an extra night in a hotel room, especially if I’m not even using it. _

Victor reached the bed first, sitting down on the edge. Yuuri sat down next to him.

Victor asked quietly, “Do you want to sit back to front? So that you can talk to your coach more easily?”

Yuuri nodded. Victor moved back to the head of the bed and pulled Yuuri back into his lap, pulling Yuuri’s back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri, and Yuuri laid his arms over Victor’s. They both sighed in relief at the renewed contact.

Yuuri nervously cleared his throat. “Um, I’m sorry that it took so long to call you, Celestino. It’s been… a bit of a rough morning…”

Celestino studied Yuuri’s face, noting the dark circles and the puffiness of his eyes.  _ He looks terrible, maybe the worst I’ve ever seen him. I’m used to his anxiety, and even the aftermath of his crying and sleeplessness. But this… this is… _

_ This is so much worse… _

Celestino hesitantly asked, “Yuuri, are you okay?”

Yuuri looked down, away from Celestino as he absently rubbed Victor’s arm with his thumb. “No…? Yes…? I’m not sure.”

He took a deep breath and looked up at Celestino. “It’s like my brain can’t catch up with all that has happened. I… I don’t know what to think. How I should feel. It’s… confusing…”

Victor hugged Yuuri tighter to him. He whispered, “I knew that you were still hurting. But I had no idea that you still felt so… overwhelmed. I… Um… Is there anything…?”

Yuuri shook his head slightly. “No, I’ll be okay. I just think… I think that I still need time to come to terms with all that has happened.”

Celestino turned the office chair towards Yuuri and Victor and settled into it. “I know. I’ve never met a couple that bonded accidentally where at least one person didn’t feel exactly the same way. It makes sense after all. I mean, one minute your life is your own. You are free to do as you choose. And the next…”

Celestino paused for a moment. His eyes were bright, as if he were holding back tears. “In the next moment, you are never alone. Ever. From that moment on, it is not just you. It is plural. Always together. Living for each other. It is wonderful. And terrifying.”

Celestino sighed. “Cherish each other. The bond that you have. Some people are not so lucky.”

Yuuri’s throat was thick with unshed tears.  _ I… don’t know what to say to him. What can I say to that?  _

At a loss for words, Yuuri simply nodded slowly. Victor gently kissed the top of Yuuri’s head and said quietly, “We will. Thank you, Coach Cialdini.”

Yuuri cleared his throat. “Um, we still need to talk about the rest of the season? And my training?”

Celestino nodded. “Of course. I’m sure that Coach Feltsman told you that we contacted the ISU about what happened?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, he came and shouted at us, at Victor. But he didn’t mention that.”

Celestino chuckled slightly. “That sounds like Yakov.” He sighed. “This morning, the two of us called the ISU and appraised them of the situation. They were not pleased, to say the least.”

Victor scoffed. “Why? It is not like we did this on purpose. So why do they care?”

Celestino shrugged, “Who knows? I certainly don’t pretend to understand what the ISU is thinking.”

Celestino crossed his arms across his chest. “I assume that Yakov told you boys about the mess concerning the national competitions?”

Yuuri sighed. “About how they are at the same time, and how one of us would have to forfeit our season? Yes, he did.”

Celestino said, “Did he tell you that we both fought to get them to change their minds? To move one of the competitions?”

Victor inhaled sharply. “He didn’t! Why wouldn’t he tell me?”

Celestino replied, “Undoubtedly, he was still mad that they refused. Trust me, he wasn’t angry with you. He was angry that one of you would be cheated out of the opportunity to compete, which you both  _ earned _ , through no fault of your own. It would be easier to bear if you had been injured, or if you just had a bad day on the ice. But this…”

Celestino sighed. “It is beyond unfair to punish you boys like this. Not for bonding…”

Yuuri smiled weakly. “It’s okay. We’ve already made a decision. One that we can both live with. Victor will compete in the Russian Nationals. I’ll forfeit my spot at the All-Japan Competition.”

Celestino asked, “Yuuri, are you sure? You realize this means that you are giving up the Four Continents and the World Championships as well?”

Yuuri nodded. “It will be okay. I’ll work on my routines for next season.”

He added quietly, “But, this means that I’ll be moving to Saint Petersburg, to train with Coach Feltsman. That’s where Victor trains, after all.”

“I’m sorry… but I’m afraid that my time training with you is done.”

Celestino nodded. “I… understand.”  _ I expected this, when the ISU refused to budge. Especially after I heard that it was Yuuri that had instigated the bonding. Maybe if Victor had… No, Yuuri would have still given up his season for him. _

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t get the ISU to change their minds. But next year…” He smiled slightly. “Next year they promised that they would schedule  _ all _ of the national competitions so that they would not overlap. No one else will ever have to make this kind of decision.”

Victor sighed in relief. “I was worried that we would run into this same problem next year, too. I’m relieved to hear that we will both be able to compete to our full potential next season.”

Yuuri said, “I’m sorry that it had to end this way, Coach. I have really enjoyed working with you for the last few years. Please, tell the other skaters that I’ll miss them.”

Celestino replied, “Of course. It has been a pleasure coaching you, Yuuri. And I am happy for both of you. Victor, take care of him.”

Victor smiled. “Don’t worry, I will. And I won’t let Yakov yell at him too much.”

Celestino laughed. “See that you do that.” He paused before he added, “Yuuri. Don’t hesitate to call me, if you ever need anything.”

A tear fell from Yuuri’s eyes as he replied, “I won’t. Thank you for everything, Coach Celestino.”

Celestino smiled. “Now, let’s have none of that. Bonding is a happy thing. No more crying, okay?”

Yuuri sniffled. “Okay…”

Celestino scratched the back of his head as he stood. “I should probably go. You two are still bonding. You should rest. My flight is not until tomorrow afternoon, so call me if you need anything. Okay, boys?”

Victor nodded. “Thank you, Coach Cialdini.”

Celestino walked towards the door and opened it, pausing in the open doorway. He looked back at the boys clutching each other on the bed.  _ God, I wish I could have had that. Even for just a little while. They are so fortunate.  _ He smiled.  _ I am truly happy for Yuuri. He needed his soulmate. More perhaps than anyone else that I’ve ever known. _

Celestino stepped into the hallway and allowed the door to close behind him.  _ I hope that you and Victor are happy together, Yuuri. And that you have a long time to love each other. _

***

Yuuri sighed in relief as the door closed behind Celestino. “That went better than I thought it would.”

Victor tilted his head in confusion. “Were you afraid to talk to your coach, Yuuri? Why? He seems like a nice man.”

Yuuri shrugged. “I just… don’t like confrontation. I’ve always been bad at it, and it causes my anxiety to increase, which increases my insecurity… It is an never ending cycle.”

Victor said, “It’s okay. We all have things we’re not good at. Come here.”

Victor loosened his hold so that Yuuri could turn around to face him. Victor used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears on his cheeks. “I agree with Coach Cialdini. No more crying, Yuuri. I think we’ve had enough tears for today.”

Yuuri laughed. “Okay, I’ll try my best. But I’m afraid I can’t make any promises.”

Victor, concerned, studied the dark circles under Yuuri’s eyes. “You’re still tired, aren’t you?”

Yuuri nodded. “I’m sorry. It feels like all of our bonding time has been spent with us asleep.”

Victor whispered gently, “I don’t mind.”  _ I just want you to feel better. And right now, sleep is what you need most. _

Yuuri sighed. “Really?”

Victor smiled. “I wouldn’t say it unless I meant it. I don’t mind. Truly.”

“Then, yes. I think I still need some more rest.”

“Okay, then we’ll just rest for a while longer. The world will still be here when we wake up.”


	6. Bonding

Yuuri’s phone was ringing. Loudly. Yuuri groaned as he cracked his eyes open slowly. Underneath him, Victor grimaced at the jarring noise. He reached for the offending device and shoved it unceremoniously into Yuuri’s hands. “For God’s sake, answer it. This is the second time it’s rang in less than a minute.”

Yuuri started. _The first time didn’t even phase me. Who could be calling me…?_

_Oh._

Phichit’s bright, smiling face showed on the screen as the ringtone continued. Yuuri hit the accept call button and brought the phone to his ear. He said, “Hey, Phichit. What’s up?”

Phichit was nearly shouting into the phone. “Yuuri! Why didn’t you call me? Why did I have to find out about this on Instagram?”

Phichit added in a small, sad voice, “I thought I was your best friend…”

Yuuri pulled the phone away from his mouth and said quietly to Victor, “It’s Phichit Chulanont. He’s my best friend, and roommate in Detroit. And I guess he found out about us bonding…”

Phichit said indignantly, “Hell yes, I found out! Yuuuuri, why would you keep this from me? Did something bad happen? You’re both okay, right? You’re not hurt…”

Phichit gasped, “Yuuri… don’t tell me… that Victor didn’t want to bond...”

Yuuri interrupted him. “No, Phichit. Really, everything is fine. He wanted to find his soulmate. He seems… happy.”

Phichit asked, “And what about you? Are you okay?”

Yuuri sighed deeply. _He knows me too well. I think I might need backup…_

Yuuri pulled the phone away from his ear. He pushed the speaker button and held up the phone. He said, “I’m putting you on speaker, Phichit. It’s just me and Victor in the room right now.”

Phichit said, “Hi, Victor.”

Victor smiled as he said, “Hello, Phichit.”

Yuuri said, “Give us a minute, Phichit. We’re… not in a very comfortable position for talking…”

Phichit chuckled. “Okay, take your time.”

Yuuri frowned as he put Phichit on mute. “There is no telling what kind of scenario his mind is creating right now.”

Victor chuckled softly. _I’ve never met him personally, but I do know Phichit has a reputation for being a bit of a… drama hound..._

Yuuri asked, “Is it okay if we sit up for a while? Like we did with Celestino?” _Please say yes, I really like how it feels when you hold me like that._

Victor nodded. “Of course.” _He must have liked that. There’s no logical reason for us to sit like that right now…_

Yuuri shifted off of Victor, keeping contact as he did. Then, Victor sat up, and pulled Yuuri into his lap. Yuuri’s back rested against Victor’s chest. Yuuri sighed contentedly as Victor wrapped his arms around him.

Yuuri hit the mute button. “Sorry about that, Phichit. We’re more comfortable now.”

Phichit stifled a snicker as he said, “Good, now back to the topic at hand. Yuuri, how could you go and bond without me there? And then not even call me? Seriously, it hurt that I found out on social media instead of from you directly.”

Yuuri sighed. Before he could answer, Victor spoke up. “Phichit, neither of us planned for this to happen. Believe me, it would have been better for Yuuri, and myself, if we had. And if we could have had you here to help. But, things don’t always go as planned.”

Phichit was quiet, for once. Victor continued, “He didn’t call you after it happened because he passed out. It took both Chris and I to carry him up to my room. He didn’t wake until morning.”

Phichit said, “You were drinking again, weren’t you?”

Yuuri blushed. “Yes…”

Phichit sighed. “Yuuri, you _know_ better. You _know_ what you’re like when you get drunk… And this time, I wasn’t there to help keep you out of trouble.”

Yuuri dejectedly mumbled, “I know…”

Victor thought, _I don’t like the way that this is going. If he keeps this up, Phichit is going to make Yuuri cry. Again._

“But all’s well that ends well, right?”

Phichit sounded confused as he asked, “What?”

Victor repeated, “All’s well that ends well. We might not have bonded in the best possible way, but we did find our soulmate. So it’s all okay. We’ll be okay. Right?”

Phichit sighed. “Mmm-hmm.” He paused. “So… are you coming back to Detroit?”

Yuuri hissed in a breath. _That’s right, he doesn’t know yet._

“No, I’m moving to St. Petersburg. My season is over, and Victor needs to train.”

Phichit let out a startled squeak. “What do you mean, you’re season is over? A loss at the Grand Prix Final is not _that_ bad!”

Victor said, “The Russian and Japanese Nationals are at the same time.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Yuuri asked tentatively, “Phichit? Are you still there?”

Phichit let out a loud sigh. “That’s… so _unfair_. Did Ciao-Ciao talk to the ISU? Isn’t there anything that can be done?”

“Both he and Victor’s coach tried, but they wouldn’t move either of the competitions. One of us can’t compete.”

“But why does it have to be you?”

Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. _I feel like I’ve had this argument before._ He looked up at Victor. _Oh, right. I have…_

Yuuri said, “I was the one that got drunk and caused this mess. I have to take responsibility.” He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “I… I’m sorry, Phichit. I wish that I was still coming back to Detroit. You’re my best friend…”

Phichit interrupted him. “Stop that. You’re making it sound like we’ll never see each other again. It’s not like I can’t come to Russia, or you can’t come to Detroit, after the season is over. And anyway, you knew that I was considering moving back to Thailand at the end of the season. This just might give me the incentive to go ahead and move back home.”

Yuuri asked, “You’re not mad about how you found out?”

Phichit scoffed. “I was only _pretending_ to be mad. I think it’s awesome that you found your soulmate. And it turned out to be Victor, of all people!”

Victor perked up at the mention of his name. “Hmm? Why would that be such a big deal?”

Phichit laughed as he said, “Yuuri has had a crush on you, like, forever!”

Yuuri groaned. “Phichit! Why would you tell him that?”

“Call it payback for not calling me!”

Yuuri whined, “That’s not fair! I’ve been asleep!”

“This whole time?”

Yuuri sighed. “Well, unless you _wanted_ me to wake you up at 2 am, then yes. This whole time.”

“For this, you could have woken me up.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes in exasperation. He mumbled, “I feel like I’m not going to win this argument…”

Victor chuckled. _I’m glad that Yuuri has such a good friend. They sound almost like Chris and myself. And I’m sure that Chris would have reacted similarly to Phichit if he had found out through the media._

Phichit whined into the phone. “Come _on_ , Yuuri! Bonding is a _huge_ deal. I can’t believe that you two got so lucky. I wish I could find my soulmate!”

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like you’ve been searching forever. Remember, it took me seven years to find mine.”

Phichit groaned. “It _feels_ like I’ve been looking forever. And my mark is so weird… I don’t even know what it’s supposed to be!”

Yuuri looked at Victor. “Ignore this drama king. He’s only had his mark since January, and he’s already bemoaning the fact that he’s not bonded yet.”

Phichit said, “That’s not fair, Yuuri. You got your mark on your sixteenth birthday. I had to wait until I was 18 before mine appeared.”

Victor sarcastically replied, “Because no one else knows what it feels like to wait for _years_ before your mark even appears…”

Yuuri said softly, “Poor Victor. You had to wait almost four whole years for me to turn sixteen. Did you worry?”

Victor shook his head, “No, the universe doesn’t make mistakes. I knew I had to have a soulmate. I just had to be patient.”

He leaned closer and kissed Yuuri gently on the top of his head. Yuuri sighed gently at the intimate gesture.

Phichit said, “You guys got all quiet… Oh My God, are you being all lovey dovey? Did I interrupt something…?”

Yuuri blushed. _“No!”_   He cleared his throat and said, “We were both asleep when you called.”

Victor thought, _We haven’t even done anything that he could have interrupted. Yuuri hasn’t even kissed me yet. I wonder… is he not affectionate? I know some people aren’t._

 _Or maybe he’s just nervous? I guess I’ll just have to be patient._ He sighed. _Again…_

Phichit said, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you. I just thought… Isn’t it evening there?”

Yuuri glanced at his phone. “Yes, but we’ve pretty much slept all day. Bonding takes a lot of energy. And we’re not quite done yet.”

Phichit said, “Oh… I’ve heard that before. I thought it was just an exaggeration. You know, people claim that it takes a lot of energy so that people will leave them alone while they bond.”

Victor chuckled. “I could see where that would be desirable. I swear, our room has been like a revolving door. As soon as one guest leaves, it seems another takes their place.”

Phichit said quietly, “Maybe I should go, then. I’m sorry.”

Yuuri replied, “I’ll call you, after we get settled in St. Petersburg. Okay?”

Phichit said, “Sounds good. Man, I still can’t believe that you bonded with _Victor_ , and that you’re going to _live_ with him, in _St. Petersburg_! I’ll start packing up your stuff, and you can send for it when you’re ready, okay?”

Yuuri smiled. “Thanks, Phichit.” _I hadn’t even thought about that yet…_

Phichit said, “Enjoy the rest of your bonding time, guys. Yuuri, I’ll be waiting for that phone call.”

Yuuri and Victor said in near unison, “Thank you.”

Yuuri added, “Bye, Phichit.”

He hit the end call button. Victor chuckled. “It seems your friend is nearly as bad as Chris. Let’s never get those two in the same place at the same time.”

Yuuri laughed. “Agreed!”

Yuuri turned around to face Victor, wrapping his arms around Victor’s back, as he added, “Phichit is a great friend, though. We’ve been thick as thieves ever since he moved to Detroit. I’d say that he is the only other skater that I would consider to be a friend.”

Victor nodded slowly. “I can understand that. It’s easy to be friendly with the other skaters, but hard to be friends with them. We do compete against each other, after all.”

Yuuri sighed. “I’ll miss seeing him all of the time.”

Victor said, “Then we’ll just have to invite him to St. Petersburg during the off season. I’m sure that we can get him some ice time at the rink.”

Yuuri asked, “Really? That would be great!”

Victor thought, _This is the least I can do. You are giving so much up for me, for my career. You are the one that is moving halfway across the world. You are the one that had to break ties with your coach. And leave your best friend behind._

_I know that you are giving up nearly everything for me. I hope I’m worth it._

Victor said, “Of course. I’ll make all of the arrangements just as soon as the season is over, and after our trip to your home. Don’t forget, you said that I would get to meet your family.”

Yuuri smiled softly. “You’re being so sweet and understanding about everything.” He looked up at Victor. “I don’t deserve you.”

Victor thought, _Funny, I feel the same way…_

He wrapped his arms around Yuuri and held him tight to his chest. “You deserve nothing but the best, Yuuri. Believe me.”

Yuuri whispered, “I admit, at first I was terrified at the prospect of moving to St. Petersburg with you. But the more we talk about it… I think I’m actually getting excited.”

Victor smiled. “Me too. I can’t wait to share everything with you. And I just know that Makkachin is going to love you, too.”

Yuuri started. _Did… did he just…?_

Victor’s voice was soft and tentative as he asked, “Yuuri… can I kiss you? Please?”

Yuuri nodded slowly. _I don’t think he means a kiss on the forehead this time. And I think… I’m okay with that._

Yuuri closed his eyes as he tilted his head up towards Victor. Victor smiled as he took the invitation and brought his lips to meet Yuuri’s. It was a soft, gentle kiss. Yuuri sighed gently as Victor pulled his lips away. A warm feeling settled into his stomach and was echoed through the bond.

Then Yuuri felt the bond slide into place with a nearly audible pop. He gasped as emotions flowed through the bond. _I can feel his affection for me. It’s strong… maybe it is love?_ He smiled slightly. _He was telling me the truth about how he feels. But also, there’s concern and…Sorrow? Despair? I’m not quite sure…_

Victor’s eyes went wide when the wave of emotions hit him. _I could feel some of his emotions before but…_

_I had no idea that his anxiety was this bad… It is the strongest of his emotions, followed by grief, and disappointment. I hope that wasn’t my fault…_

_But underneath all of that is love… Right now it may just be the infatuation he felt from before, but… Maybe we really will be okay._

The emotional onslaught subsided, returning to the background level from before. Yuuri thought, _from this point on, we’ll always be able to feel each other’s emotions. Just, luckily, not_ **_quite_ ** _at that level._

Victor said, “We don’t have to touch anymore, if you’re uncomfortable.”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I like it when you hold me.” His eyes went wide and he clamped a hand over his mouth.

Victor smiled as he gently removed Yuuri’s hand from his mouth. Yuuri was blushing furiously.

Victor said softly, “Don’t be embarrassed. I want you to be honest with me. We have a lot to learn about each other, after all.”

Yuuri hesitantly nodded. “You’re right. I’ll… try.”

Victor leaned in closer, catching Yuuri’s lips in a tender kiss. As he pulled away, he whispered, “That’s all I ask.”

Yuuri blinked, his expression dazed. His body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Victor stifled a yawn. “I think we need one more round of sleep.”

Yuuri nodded drowsily. “Yes… I think you’re right.” He blushed up to his ears as he asked, “Would you hold me while we sleep? Please?”

Victor nodded. “All you have to do is ask.”

Yuuri slid off of Victor’s lap. Victor laid down on his side and held his arms open. Yuuri sighed contentedly as he snuggled up to Victor, his back resting comfortably against Victor’s chest. Victor draped one arm around Yuuri and pulled him in tight.

Victor felt Yuuri relax in his arms. He smiled. _We’ve bonded. And it feels like a strong bond, too. I will always be able to feel him, even if we aren’t physically close._

Yuuri’s breathing slowed as he succumbed to sleep. Victor kissed Yuuri’s head and whispered softly, “Sleep well.”

It wasn’t long before Victor also drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Yuuri. You could have worded some things better. There's no telling what Phichit's mind came up with...
> 
> And Victor quotes Shakespeare. I always head canon that Victor is well-read. He has probably read Shakespeare in Russian and the original English both.


	7. The Calm

Victor opened his eyes slowly. He blinked, allowing his mind to clear from the fog of sleep. Victor smiled and pulled Yuuri’s still sleeping form closer to himself. He gently kissed Yuuri on the top of his head, careful not to wake him.

_Bonding wore us both completely out. I’ve never felt so weary in my life. And Yuuri had it so much worse. He had to make so many tough decisions._

_I hope that he doesn’t regret them._

Yuuri took in a deep breath and stirred in his sleep. A small moan escaped his lips as he started to come around. Victor felt Yuuri stiffen momentarily before relaxing again in his arms.

Still half asleep, Yuuri whispered, “Victor…”

Victor replied, “Hmm?”

Yuuri turned to face Victor, a sleepy smile on his face. _For a moment I almost thought it was all a dream. And when I woke up in someone’s arms, I was afraid it wasn’t you. But…_

“You’re really here.”

Victor nodded. Yuuri buried his face in Victor’s chest. His voice was muffled as he added, “I’m glad. I was afraid… I thought maybe it was all a dream.”

Victor smiled as he wrapped his arms around Yuuri. “I’ll always be right here.”

Yuuri mumbled, “We’re going to have to leave today, aren’t we?”

Victor thought for a moment before he replied, “Actually, it depends on whether or not Yakov can get us on a flight out today or not. We’ll have to have a bonding seat, and those are always in high demand.”

Yuuri sighed. “Oh, right. I forgot…” _Even though we are technically done bonding, we can’t be very far apart from each other yet. The bonding seat will help us be more comfortable on the flight._

Victor said, “Before I text Yakov, and tell him that we are going to St. Petersburg, I’ll ask one more time. Are you sure?”

Yuuri thought, _Am I sure? No, not really. This turns my life completely upside down._

_But I am sure that I want to give you the chance to become the World Champion for the fifth time in a row. I’m sure that I want to watch you skate for as long as I can. And if that means that I need to move to Russia with you, then I’m okay with it._

Yuuri nodded. “Tell him. I’m sure. I want you to compete at the World Championships. And the only way that that happens is if you compete at the Russian Nationals.”

Victor rested his head on Yuuri’s shoulder, right next to his ear. He whispered, “I still wish there was another way. I’m so sorry, Yuuri.”

Yuuri sighed. “It’s okay. Or at least it will be. I’ll train hard, like I’m still competing. And next year…”

He grinned. “Next year, I’ll give you a run for your money.”

Victor huffed out a laugh. “You better.”

Victor reached towards the nightstand and grabbed his phone. He pressed the home button, and noticed an alert on his lock screen. He had a text from Yakov, dated the night before.

_“Coach Celestino told me that you two decided to go to St. Petersburg. The flight leaves at 16:00. I booked you the first class bonding seat. Text me when you wake.”_

Victor chuckled.

Yuuri asked, “What is it?”

Victor shook his head. “That impatient old man. Yakov couldn’t even wait until after we told him officially. He already booked us on a flight this afternoon.”

Yuuri asked, “But that’s good, right? That means we could be there tonight.”

Victor nodded. “Are you ready for that?”

Yuuri hesitated. “I… think so? I think the less time I have to think about it, the better off I’ll be.”

Victor kissed Yuuri gently on the forehead. “Okay. Yakov wanted me to text him when we woke up.”

“What time is it anyway?”

Victor checked his phone display. “It’s a little before 9:00. He said that our flight is at 16:00. So we still have several hours before we will need to leave for the airport. Why?”

Yuuri said, “Because I am in desperate need of a shower. Do you think… Can we try…?” _How are we going to do this, without me dying of embarrassment? We can’t be too far apart, and I just don’t think that I’m mentally prepared to see Victor… naked…_

Victor fought to keep himself from laughing. _No, I cannot laugh. Yuuri is distressed about this, so I need to be understanding._

Victor carefully said, “So, you want to know if we can shower? Separately?”

Yuuri’s face turned bright red. “Yes… I’m sorry…”

Victor reached up and gently brushed Yuuri’s hair back away from his face. “Yuuri, there’s no need to apologize. I would never ask you to do anything that you’re not ready for. There’s been too much of that as is. We’ll do whatever we need to, in order for us to both be comfortable.”

Victor continued. “First let’s see how far apart we can get. Then we’ll decide how we’ll do this, okay?”

Yuuri nodded. “Okay.” He untangled himself from Victor, shifting away from him slowly.

Victor winced internally at the loss of contact. _We might not_ **_need_ ** _to touch anymore, but I_ **_want_ ** _to. He’s mere centimeters from me, and I already miss it._

Yuuri edged farther away from Victor. He didn’t even get a full meter away before they both felt it. A slight discomfort bordering on pain. Yuuri reached out and grasped Victor’s hand, and the feeling dissipated.

Victor smirked. “Well, that answers that question.”

Yuuri asked, “How are we going to do this?”

Victor thought for a moment. “I think… No, I know that we will both have to be in the bathroom at the same time. We can’t be far enough apart to do it any other way.”

Yuuri nodded slowly. “I guess… one of us can wait outside of the shower while the other cleans up? And take turns?”

Victor sighed. “It’s not ideal, but it will work.” _It would be easier if Yuuri was willing to shower together. I would be completely happy to take a shower with him. But, this has been a lot for poor Yuuri to take in. I can’t give him much, but I can give him this. I can wait until he is ready._

Yuuri said, “Okay. Are you ready?”

Victor nodded. “Just let me text Yakov first. I’ll tell him that we want to get cleaned up before he comes.”

Yuuri nodded in agreement. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. _I want, no I_ **_need_ ** _to get clean. But this is not going to be a fun experience. God, I wish it was over already…_

***  
It took a lot of coordination, and no small amount of discomfort, for both Yuuri and Victor to shower and get ready to face the day. Nearly an hour later, the two were seated again on the bed. Yuuri was once again seated with his back against Victor’s chest. Victor was lounging comfortably against the headboard.

Yuuri took another bite out of the pastry left over from the previous morning, followed by a sip of the tea that they had made in the room’s coffee maker.

Yuuri asked, “These are really good. Are these pastries common in St. Petersburg?”

Victor nodded. “But I don’t think that they would be on our diet plan.”

Yuuri scowled. “Oh… I nearly forgot.” _I haven’t really been following my diet plan. Not since Mari told me about Vicchan..._

Victor felt the grief coming from Yuuri. _Surely reminding him of our diets didn’t cause this reaction. Something else is bothering him._

Victor asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Yuuri asked, “Hmm?”

Victor said, “I can feel your emotions, Yuuri. Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?”

Yuuri sighed, “Not yet.”

Victor sighed and leaned forward, kissing Yuuri gently on the top of his head. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me until you’re ready.”

Yuuri smiled slightly. “Thank you.” _Thank you for understanding that I just… can’t talk about it. Not yet. It still hurts too much…_

There was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. Yakov’s gruff voice called out, “Are you decent?”

Victor replied, “Yes, Yakov. Your timing is nearly perfect.”

Yakov opened the door and allowed it to close behind him. He rubbed his bald head as he walked across the room. Yakov sighed as he settled heavily into the office chair.

Yakov said, “It’s done now, correct?”

Victor nodded. _He didn’t have to ask. We’re actually dressed, for the first time in nearly two days._ Victor couldn’t stop the small scowl that crossed his face. _Even though I would actually prefer it if we weren’t. I… miss the contact._

Victor slipped one of his hands under Yuuri’s shirt, lightly touching his side. Yuuri sighed gently in response to the touch.

Yakov rubbed a hand over his bald head. “This was not what I wanted for you.”

Victor made a face and opened his mouth to argue. Yakov held up a hand as he said, “No, Vitya. Don’t get angry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What I meant is that I would have preferred if you had planned your bonding. In private, and outside of the season. When we could have talked those jackasses at the ISU into moving one of the competitions.”

Victor closed his mouth in surprise.

Yuuri spoke up. “I’m sorry about all of this, Coach Feltsman. And I’m sorry to have to ask this, but would you please be my coach?”

Yakov nodded slowly. “No need to apologize, Katsuki. What’s done is done. And, yes, I’ll coach you. Call me Yakov. All of my skaters do.”

Yuuri smiled as he said, “Thank you, Yakov. I won’t let you down.”

Yakov grunted. “We have a lot of work to do when we arrive in Russia. But you have potential. Your footwork, and your spins, are very good. But your jumps…”

Yuuri hung his head. “I know. I land them in practice…”

Yakov nodded sagely. “Then we will have to find a way for you to land them at competition.”

Victor said, “Yakov… How long do you think it will be before I can practice?”

Yakov rested his chin in his hand as he thought. “Hmm, you just bonded last night. The distance does increase exponentially over the first few weeks. I have no doubt that by the time we arrive in Yekaterinburg that you will be able to compete without issue. But practice…”

Yuuri quietly said, “I know Victor’s routines. By heart. I could, I mean, if it would help…”

“I could skate them with him?”

Victor started. _He knows my routines? Both of them? No one outside of the Russian team saw them until a month ago…_

“When did you have time to learn my routines?”

Yuuri shrugged. “I skate to help my anxiety. Sometimes, I skate other skater’s routines. I know _all_ of your routines, Victor.”

Victor grinned widely. “You’re amazing, Yuuri.”

Yuuri blushed furiously. “It’s not that special…”

Yakov cleared his throat. “That will help speed things along. If Yuuri can shadow you, Vitya, you should be able to get back on the ice in a few days.”

Victor nodded. “Are you okay with that, Yuuri?”

Yuuri said, “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. I might have to downgrade a jump or two… After all, the quad flip isn’t in my repertoire.”

Yakov stood as he said, “Then it’s all settled. The plane leaves at 16:00, so be in the lobby, ready to leave, at 13:30. Pack, and get something for lunch. While the flight is not overly long, I doubt that it will be comfortable for you two. Prepare yourselves for it, as best you can.”

Yuuri nodded and said, “Yes, coach.” at the same time that Victor said, “Da.”

Yakov walked over to the door and paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Despite what you may think, I am happy that you two found your soulmate. It is a thing worth celebrating. After the Nationals are done, we’ll celebrate properly, yes?”

Victor nodded. “Thanks, Yakov.”

Yakov grunted in response as he opened the door and headed out into the hallway, leaving Yuuri and Victor alone.

Victor said, “And that is about as close to happy as I have ever seen that man. He must like you, after all.”

Yuuri looked up at Victor in surprise. “Huh?”

Victor smiled. “I’ve never seen him act that way towards any other skater. Except maybe the kids when they first arrive. But adult skaters? No. Never.”

Yuuri sighed. “Why would he act that way towards me, then?”

Victor grinned, “Like I said, he must like you. Either that, or Coach Cialdini told him something.”

Yuuri groaned. “He probably told Yakov about my anxiety. Now he’s going to treat me like I’ll break…”

Victor pulled Yuuri in closer, shushing him gently. “No, Yuuri. It’s okay. In a few days, once this all blows over a little, Yakov will be yelling at you. Just like he does all of the rest of us.”

Yuuri snorted. “I’ll look forward to it.”

Victor laughed. Yuuri smiled as a warm feeling spread through him at the sound.

Yuuri asked, “Should we go ahead and pack up?”

Victor sighed as he moved his arms under Yuuri’s shirt and pulled him closer to his body. He gently kissed the back of Yuuri’s neck, sending a shiver of pleasure down Yuuri’s spine.

Victor whispered, “In a minute. Let me just hold you for a while.”

Yuuri leaned his head back onto Victor’s shoulder and sighed. _The world can wait, for a little while longer..._


	8. St. Petersburg

Yuuri’s heart was beating quickly as Victor pulled him towards the apartment door.  _ Oh, God. I can’t believe that I’m actually here. Is this a dream? It has to be. There is no way that I am actually standing in front of Victor Nikiforov’s apartment. But then again… _

_ I never thought that I would be bonded to Victor. I still can’t hardly believe it. It all seems like an impossible dream. I feel like I’m just going to wake up, in my bed in Detroit. Or worse, alone in my hotel room in Sochi, with nothing but a hangover and broken dreams. _

Victor asked, “What’s wrong, Yuuri?”

Yuuri shook his head. “Nothing. I just… can’t believe that I’m really here. I keep thinking that this has to be a dream.”

Victor smiled as he pulled Yuuri into his arms. “If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

Victor tilted Yuuri’s head up gently and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. As he pulled away, he searched Yuuri’s eyes and asked softly, “Was that okay?”

Yuuri nodded. “Yes… you can kiss me whenever you want, Victor.”

“Vitya.”

Yuuri asked, “Hmm?”

Victor said, “Please, call me Vitya. It’s… what’s the word? Ah, a term of endearment.”

Yuuri said, “Okay… Vitya.”

Victor shivered slightly at the sound.  _ It sounds even better when he says it… _

Yuuri asked, “Are you going to open the door?”

Victor laughed. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “We’ll have to get a set made for you, too.”

Yuuri shook his head. “It won’t matter for a while. We’ll be together all of the time.”

Victor nodded as he slid the key into the lock. “That’s true. But I want you to have a set. I’ll ask the manager to have an extra set made.”

Victor opened the door and stepped inside, pulling his suitcase behind him. Yuuri followed on his heels. Yuuri stared in awe at the apartment as he let his backpack fall to the floor with a soft thump.  _ Wow, so this is how the famous Victor Nikiforov lives… _

He heard the sound of clicking nails on the hardwood floor, and the excited woofing of a large dog. Victor yelled, “Makka!” as the large poodle rounded the corner. She ran past Victor and straight into Yuuri, bowling him over onto the floor.

Yuuri giggled as Makkachin licked at his face, knocking his glasses askew in her attempt to cover as much of his face in doggy kisses as she possibly could. Victor knelt down next to them. He put his hand on top of Makkachin’s head and scratched behind her ears.

“Traitor.”

Yuuri laughed. “This was not the welcome that I was expecting…”

Victor smiled.  _ It was like she knew. That he’s my soulmate. But more than that, that he needed this. I was afraid that being around Makka would make the pain worse. But instead, it seems that it is helping his heart heal. I can feel his grief starting to lessen. _

Victor said, “Makka, down.”

Makkachin whined, but stopped. She moved off of Yuuri. He was still laughing as Victor helped Yuuri to his feet. “Sorry about that. She normally doesn’t behave like that.”

Yuuri resettled his glasses on his face and smiled. “No, it’s okay. I think… I needed that.”

Victor smiled. “Let’s get our luggage inside. Then, we can see about dinner.”

Yuuri replied. “Okay. Yakov gave you the day off tomorrow, right?”

Victor nodded. “He said that I won’t be able to skate for a few days anyway, so we have tomorrow and the next day off. He wants me to at least take a run, but besides that…”

Yuuri asked, “Can you show me around St. Petersburg then? Since I’m going to be living here, I’d like to get to know the city some.”

Victor grinned. “Of course. I’d love to.”

***

The next day dawned bright and cold. Yuuri shivered as he woke, burrowing deeper into the covers, and moving closer to Victor.  _ I should have worn something warmer to bed. I didn’t realize that it was going to be this cold… But then, I wouldn’t have as much skin contact with Victor… _

Victor stirred as Yuuri snuggled closer to him. He asked groggily, “Hmm?”

Yuuri said, “It’s cold…”

Victor sighed as he moved his arms around Yuuri and pulled him closer. “Sorry. Keep you warm…”

Yuuri smiled.  _ He’s still mostly asleep. It’s adorable. _

He sighed contentedly as Victor’s body heat seeped into him.  _ He’s like my own personal space heater. I wish we could stay like this all day… _

Victor mumbled, “What time is it?”

Yuuri shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t see the clock without my glasses.”

Victor sighed and cracked open his eyes. He groaned as he looked at the clock. “It’s already 9? Usually I would have been up for hours.”

Yuuri groaned.  _ Great. He’s a morning person.  _ **_That’s_ ** _ going to be fun… _

Victor asked, “What’s wrong? Still tired?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I just… have a lot on my mind. This has been a lot to process.

“Two days ago, I was prepared to leave Russia, ashamed and defeated. I was going to attempt to pull myself together before Nationals. But… with all that had happened… I don’t know if I could.

“But then, the bonding happened. And now I’m in Saint Petersburg. In your apartment. In your bed…” His voice trailed off, his face turning red all the way to his ears.

Victor hummed in agreement. “It’s been a wild couple of days.”

Yuuri groaned. “That is the understatement of the year.”  _ I would never have imagined myself here, not in a million years. _

_Okay, I admit that I_ ** _fantasized_** _about being bonded to Victor. But I never thought that it would actually happen! This only happens in romance novels, right? I’m… still having issues with believing that this is really happening._

Victor asked, “Yuuri?”

Yuuri replied, “Hmm?”

Victor pressed a kiss to the top of Yuuri’s head. “It may have been unexpected, but I am happy that we bonded. Please, don’t forget that.”

Yuuri smiled. “I won’t. And I feel the same way, too.”

***

It took some time for them to get around and ready for the day. It was almost a game, figuring out how much space they could have between them. Yuuri noted with relief that the distance had grown substantially since the previous morning. 

“Maybe this means that Yakov was right.”

Victor looked over his shoulder back at Yuuri. “About what?”

Yuuri shrugged as he searched his suitcase for a sweater. “I was just thinking. Yesterday we couldn’t have been this far apart.” He gestured at the distance between him and Victor.

“So maybe Yakov was right. At this rate, skating in Yekaterinburg shouldn’t be an issue. In fact, as long as I’m still in the rink, you might be able to practice alone by the end of the week.”

Victor smiled. “And that means that you’ll be able to practice again as well. Good. I was worried that all of this would affect your training.”

Yuuri sighed. “Like it would matter if I took a break from skating…”

Victor gasped. “What?”

Yuuri could feel the familiar sting of tears behind his eyes as he said, “It’s not like my career was going anywhere…”

Victor felt a pang of hurt and loss from Yuuri. He fell to his knees beside Yuuri, gathering him close. Yuuri buried his face into Victor’s shoulder. Victor held him closer, his arms wrapped around Yuuri. He rubbed small circles into Yuuri’s back, and mumbled words of encouragement softly as Yuuri cried.

_ It’s just stress. His entire world has been turned upside down in just a few short days. He just needs some time to come to terms with all of it. He’ll be okay, right? _

Victor asked quietly, “What do you need?”

Yuuri sniffled softly. “Time? And… this. Just, hold me?”

Victor smiled. “I can do that. For as long as you need.”

***

The early afternoon sun was bright, but did little to cut through the cold. Yuuri shivered as they stepped outside of Victor’s apartment building. He was dressed in a sweater, but had nothing but his Team Japan jacket to wear over it.

Victor frowned. “This won’t do. You need a warmer coat.”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I just didn’t pack my heavy coat because I knew that it doesn’t get terribly cold in Sochi. Phichit will pack it with the rest of my winter clothes. Once it comes, I’ll be okay.”

Victor smiled. “Or, we could just buy you a new coat now?”

Yuuri sighed.  _ I can’t tell him that I don’t have the money for a new coat. And I don’t want him to feel like he has to buy me one, either. _

Victor pulled on Yuuri’s hand. “Come on. I know just the place.”

Yuuri protested, “But, Victor, I don’t need a new coat…”

Victor replied. “Nonsense. You can never have too many coats.”

“But I…”

Victor stopped and turned back towards Yuuri, stepping closer to him. “Yuuri, let me do this for you. As a way to thank you for everything that you’ve given up for me. I… can’t even begin to pay you back for everything that you’ve done for me…”

Victor leaned in, kissing Yuuri gently on the forehead. Yuuri blushed all the way to the tips of his exposed ears. He sighed. “Okay. I guess it is too cold to be without my coat. Even for a few days.”

Victor’s face lit up in a heart-shaped grin. “Great! We’ll have to get you a hat and scarf, too…”

Yuuri smiled. “Just… don’t buy me a complete new wardrobe. Okay, Vitya? I swear, I do have clothes at home.”

Victor laughed, throwing his arms around Yuuri, enveloping him in a hug. “Okay. I’ll control myself.”

Yuuri chuckled. “How come I have the feeling that I’ll end up with more than just a coat, hat, and scarf…”

Victor gasped, raising his hand to his forehead dramatically. “Yuuri, you wound me. I  _ promise, _ I won’t try to pressure you into any more clothes.”

_ But, there is one accessory that I would like to get for him, for us. I wonder, is it too soon? Should I wait? _

“Vitya? What are you thinking about?”  _ There’s this strange combination of happiness and apprehension coming from him. I… don’t know what to think of it. _

Victor shook his head.  _ No, it’s too soon. I can’t bring up bond rings with him yet. I don’t want to cause a panic attack. So, I’ll wait… _

“Nothing.”

Yuuri pressed his lips into a thin line.  _ He’s not telling me the truth. But there is nothing I can do if he doesn’t want to tell me. I’ll just have to wait, and hope that he trusts me enough to tell me eventually. _

***

Yuuri balked as Victor tried to lead him into the store.  _ This is obviously a very high-end store. Which means that the prices will be obscenely high. I can’t afford to shop here! _

Victor frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Yuuri’s eyes were wide as he whispered frantically, “This place is too expensive…”

Victor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yuuri, please.” He tugged gently on Yuuri’s arm, trying to coax him into the store.

Yuuri said, “But a coat here will cost a small fortune…”  _ I can’t let you do this… _

Victor huffed out a breath, moving the fringe in front of his eyes.  _ I thought we were past this. Should I have taken him to a less expensive store? No, he deserves the best. I just wish that I could get him to believe that, too. _

“I want to buy you something nice. Please?”

Yuuri sighed. “Fine. But remember, we agreed on just the coat, scarf and hat. Nothing else.”

Victor beamed. “Okay!”

Yuuri allowed Victor to lead him into the store. Victor asked, “What size do you wear? Nevermind, we’ll get them to measure you.”

Yuuri blanched. “Is… is this  _ that _ type of shop?”  _ Do they tailor things to fit you? Oh my God, this place is a  _ **_lot_ ** _ more expensive than I originally thought… _

Victor chuckled lightly. “They only tailor coats and jackets. And pants, of course.”

_ Sometime I will have to get Yuuri to let me buy him a suit. The suit he wore to the banquet does not do him justice. And, I want everyone to see just how handsome he is, and in that ill-fitted suit… _

_ And God... that tie… _

Victor smirked.  _ We will have to do something about them before the next competitions. _

Yuuri felt a shiver go down his spine. “Um, Victor? What are you thinking about…?”

Victor tilted his head slightly. “Only that it is a shame that you won’t let me buy you a new suit before the Russian Nationals.”

“I have a suit.”

“You need a better one.”

“Why?”

“Because you deserve a better one. One that was made to show you off.”

Yuuri sighed in frustration. “Victor…”

Victor felt a wave of anxiety coming from Yuuri. He gasped, moving to take Yuuri into his arms. He whispered softly in Yuuri’s ear, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…. We’ll wait, okay?”

Yuuri nodded. As Victor pulled away, he noticed that Yuuri had tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. He gently used the pad of his thumb to wipe them away.  _ Does the idea of me spending money on him make him this anxious? Why? _

_ I know that he has money issues, but are they really that bad? Is money that tight for him, that the idea of spending money on himself causes this kind of anxiety? _

Victor sighed.  _ Later. I’ll ask him later. I don’t want to upset him. _

Victor brushed his hand gently through Yuuri’s hair, attempting to calm him. Yuuri sighed at the touch. Victor asked, “Um, so are you ready?”

Yuuri nodded hesitantly. Victor smiled. “Okay. Let me just…”

Before he could finish his statement, a salesman approached them and asked in Russian, “Mr. Nikiforov? How may I help you this afternoon?”

Yuuri jerked in Victor’s embrace as he recognized Victor’s name.  _ They know him by name? Does he shop here that often? No, wait… Victor is a famous athlete, and he lives here. Of course everyone knows him… _

Victor smiled at the salesman. “Actually, my bonded needs a coat.”

The salesman replied, “Your bonded? I hadn’t heard. Congratulations, Mr. Nikiforov.”

“Thank you.”

“My name is Dimitri, and it would be my pleasure to help you. Please, follow me.”

Dimitri lead them towards the back of the store, where there were VIP shopping rooms set up. Dimitri closed the door and asked Yuuri, “What are you looking for today?”

Yuuri shook his head and looked at Victor.

Victor asked Dimitri, “Do you speak English? I’m afraid that Yuuri doesn’t speak Russian.”

“No, I’m sorry. I think that Anya can speak English. Would you like to work with her instead?”

Victor nodded. “Please. I think it would make him more comfortable. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Dimitri shook his head. “Think nothing of it. I am sorry that I couldn’t help.”

Dimitri left the room, shutting the door behind him. Yuuri asked, “What now?”

“One of the other salespeople speaks English, so he went to get her instead.”

Yuuri sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I need to learn Russian?”

“There’s no rush. I don’t mind.”

Yuuri blushed. “I know, but… if I’m going to live here, eventually I need to learn.”

There was a light rapping on the door as it slowly opened. The woman behind the door asked in English, “Pardon, but Dimitri said that you needed someone that speaks English, Mr. Nikiforov?”

Yuuri sighed in relief as Victor replied, “Yes.”

The saleswoman said, “I’m Anya. What are we looking for today?”

Yuuri squeaked out, “A winter coat…?”

Anya clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “Of course! What styles do you prefer? Fit? Color?”

Yuuri’s head began to spin.  _ So many choices… How am I supposed to make a decision? _

Victor glanced at Yuuri, and realizing that he was overwhelmed, said, “Just bring a few different styles and colors to start, and we’ll start to narrow it down from there.”

Anya nodded. “Of course.” She turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Victor took Yuuri’s hand and squeezed it gently. Softly, he asked, “Overwhelmed?”

Yuuri nodded. “A little. I’m used to just going to somewhere cheap and buying whatever fits…”

Victor hummed in response.  _ No wonder he is so anxious in here. _

Yuuri said, “It’s stupid, isn’t it? I’m overreacting?”

Victor brushed Yuuri’s cheek with his fingers. Yuuri blushed at the contact. “No, I’m sorry if this has made you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to have something nice…”

Yuuri smiled. “It’s okay, Vitya.”

Victor blushed. “What do you say to a late lunch after this? I know a great little café that’s not too far from here.”

“That sounds great.”  _ Maybe knowing that we’ll go eat after will be enough to help me through this... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in updating. My time was consumed by Spooky Week fics for almost the entirety of October. Plus, this chapter is definitely outside of the original outline. I'm playing it by ear now.
> 
> Kudos to anyone that gets the reference concerning the salespeople's names.
> 
> I'm thinking that this fic will get two or three more chapters before it ends. I hope everyone continues to enjoy it.


	9. Adjusting

Two Days Later

Victor tugged gently on Yuuri’s hand as he led him into the rink building. Yuuri felt a shiver go down his spine as the door closed behind him.

Victor looked back at Yuuri. _I can feel his anxiety. It’s just the rink… Ah. I get it._

Victor stopped in the entranceway, pulling Yuuri towards him. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri and whispered into his ear, “It’s okay to be nervous. But I promise you, it will be fine.”

Yuuri sniffled slightly. “How do you know? What if they all hate me?” _Since all that I have managed to do is cause you trouble, why would they like me?_

Victor chuckled. “They won’t hate you, Yuuri. And eventually, they will grow accustomed to you, and to the idea of us together. Remember, these are my friends. As long as I’m happy, they will be, too.”

Yuuri nodded slowly. _He’s not worried at all. And he knows them much better than I do. But I can’t imagine, for example, that Yuri will be happy about this. He already hates me…_

The doors leading outside opened behind him. Yuuri turned his head and saw that Yuri had walked in. Yuri scoffed, “Tch, could you _not_ make out in the entranceway? The rest of us have to walk here, and it’s gross.”

Yuuri blushed deep red. Victor retorted, “We aren’t. And if you think that was making out, your education is severely lacking.”

“Whatever, old man. Just get out of my damn way.”

“Language.”

Yuri stuck his tongue out at Victor. “What are you gonna do? Tell Yakov? Get a life, Victor.”

Yuri stomped away, making his way towards the changing rooms.

Yuuri asked quietly, “Is he always like that?” _I mean, he yelled at me in the bathroom at the Iceberg Skating Palace… Is he just an angry person?_

Victor shook his head. “No, he’s upset about something. I just don’t know what yet. I’m sure it’s something he thinks I did, or maybe something that I forgot to do. My memory is terrible…”

“I didn’t know that.” _And I thought I knew everything there was to know about Victor. But then again, he wouldn’t tell the magazines everything._

Victor asked, “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Victor nodded. “Then let’s go put our things away and get out on the ice. I can’t wait to skate my routines with you.”

***

Yuuri waited patiently while Yakov discussed the routine with Victor. _I can’t understand what they are saying, but I can’t imagine that there is much to fix in Victor’s routines. They both are so polished, so perfect._

Victor nodded. In English, he said, “We’ll run through it once, and then we can work on the specifics, yes? Just to make sure that Yuuri is comfortable first.”

Yakov replied, “Fine.”

Yuuri could hear the man grumbling in Russian as Victor turned towards him. Victor took Yuuri’s hand and asked, “Are you sure that you can do this? If not, just say so. We could just practice some elements and call it a day.”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I told you that I know your routines. I can do this. And what’s more, I _want_ to do this. So that you can practice for the Russian Nationals.”

Yuuri’s pressed his lips together into a thin line. _But I am worried…_

Victor could feel the anxiety coming from Yuuri. “What’s wrong?”

Yuuri hesitated. _No, I can’t lie to him. That wouldn’t be fair. And anyways, he would know that I was lying if I said that it was nothing._ “I’m worried about messing up the jumps. You could get hurt…”

Victor cupped Yuuri’s cheek with his hand. “Then we can mark the jumps today.”

Yuuri smiled slightly as he nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

Victor smiled. “We’re starting with the Free Skate. Do you need the music?”

“I can do it without it.”

“Okay, then, we’ll start on my count.”

Victor took his starting position, Yuuri mirroring the pose behind him. Victor counted, “3, 2, 1…”

The men glided across the ice, in sync with each other and moving to music that only they could hear. At the boards, the other skaters watched in awe.

Mila asked, “When did Yuuri have time to learn Victor’s routine? Isn’t this his first time on the ice since they bonded?”

Yakov nodded. “Katsuki said that he knew Vitya’s routines, so I took his word for it. It appears that he was telling the truth.”

Georgi leaned forward, his elbow resting on the boards. “That's so romantic. He felt a connection to Victor, even before they bonded…”

Yuri gagged. “Whatever. It’s weird. Who learns other people’s routines like that? He’s just a glorified fanboy that got lucky.”

Mila sighed. “Yuri, you just don’t get it. Once you get your soulmark…”

Yuri scoffed. “If it makes me act like _that_ ,” he gestured at the two men on the ice, “I hope I never get one.”

Mila gasped, “Yuri, you don’t mean that.”

“I do. They are gross. I’m not watching this.”

He turned to leave the rink area. Yakov bellowed after him, “Where do you think you are going? You still have practice!”

Yuri retorted over his shoulder. “I’m going to the studio. Send someone to get me when the love birds are done with the ice.”

***

Later That Evening

Yuuri’s hair was still damp from the shower. Victor walked up behind him, putting his arms around Yuuri and pulling him tight to his chest. Yuuri relaxed into the embrace.

Victor rested his forehead on Yuuri’s shoulder and muttered, “You smell nice.”

Yuuri huffed out a laugh. “I used your shampoo and body wash. I smell like you.”

Victor gently kissed Yuuri’s exposed shoulder. “Your skin is cold. Don’t you have anything warmer to wear than that?”

Yuuri shrugged slightly. “Not really? I think we probably need to do some laundry. I don’t have a lot of clean clothes left. And I didn’t pack anything warm to sleep in. I thought I was leaving Russia after the Grand Prix Final, remember?”

Victor chuckled slightly. “And your boxes aren’t arriving from Detroit until next week. Let me see what I can find…” _He’s not used to the temperature in St. Petersburg yet. And even I wear warmer clothes than that in the winter._

Victor walked over to his dresser and began looking through it. _I’m taller than he is, and our body types are similar, so he should be able to wear one of my shirts comfortably. Aha!_

“You can wear this.” Victor held the shirt out to Yuuri, who took it gratefully. _Maybe now I won’t feel like my teeth are going to chatter out of my skull. I’ve been so cold, ever since we arrived._

Yuuri pulled his t shirt over his head, and pulled the thermal long sleeved shirt on. He took a deep breath. _It smells like Victor…_

Yuuri rubbed lightly on his arms, trying to dispel the cold. “Thank you, Vitya.”

Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri and pulled him into his chest. “Still cold?”

Yuuri nodded. “A little.”

“Then what do you say to moving to the couch? We can get under a blanket, and I’ll just order us something to be delivered for dinner.”

Yuuri sighed and allowed himself to sink further into Victor’s warm embrace. “Yes, please.”

***

A Few Hours Later

Yuuri’s head was resting on Victor’s chest as they laid tangled up together on the couch. Makkachin had claimed a place on top of Yuuri, and all three were covered by a blanket. Yuuri was dozing, warm and comfortable.

The loud, jarring sound of Yuuri’s phone blared through the quiet apartment. Yuuri jerked awake. Victor yawned loudly as he reached over and plucked the phone off of the coffee table. He placed it in Yuuri’s hands. Yuuri mumbled a quick, “Thank you.”

Yuuri barely answered the call before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”

Phichit’s voice asked incredulously, “Is that any way to greet your best friend?”

Yuuri yawned loudly. “I’m sorry, Phichit. I guess I fell asleep? I barely answered the phone in time. I didn’t even look to see who it was.”

Victor untangled his legs from Yuuri’s and sat up. He whispered in Yuuri’s free ear, “I’ll go make us some tea, and give you some privacy.”

Yuuri covered the phone with his hand. “Thank you, Vitya.”

Victor stood and walked around the couch, heading towards the kitchen. Yuuri sighed in disappointment. _It was so nice, laying here with him, after such a long day…_

“Umm, Yuuri? You still there?”

Yuuri’s attention snapped back to the phone. “Sorry, Phichit. I got distracted…”

Phichit snickered. “I bet you did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

Yuuri sighed heavily.

Phichit said, “What I asked was, how is Russia?”

Yuuri groaned as he fell back onto the couch, occupying the space where Victor had been. “I don’t know. It’s cold… and weird? Like, I know that this is where I live now, but it doesn’t feel like home?”

“You know that it just takes time to adjust, Yuuri. I’m sure you’ll feel better in a few weeks.”

Yuuri closed his eyes. “I know. I just need to get used to the apartment, and the rink, and the people, and not being able to speak or understand the language being used around me…”

“...Yuuri…”

Yuuri covered his eyes with his arm. _I’m not going to cry. I am NOT homesick. I’m not…_

In the kitchen, Victor placed the tea kettle on the counter and glanced back towards the couch. _I didn’t realize that it was affecting him this much. I wish there was something that I could do to make it easier for him… I guess all I can do is try to be understanding and allow him to open up when he is ready._

_And take him to Japan as quickly as I can manage._

Yuuri sighed. “At least the other skaters at the rink speak English. That helped a little. Even if they weren’t all exactly friendly.”

“Did that other Yuri say something to you again? I swear, I’m gonna sock him when I see him…”

Yuuri shook his head. “If you did that, the ISU would have a fit. It’s okay. He just… probably needs some time to get used to me and Victor being…” Yuuri’s voice trailed off.

“Soulmates, Yuuri. You can say the word.”

“...Soulmates…”

“See, I knew you could do it.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

Yuuri grinned. “I could always just end the call.”

Phichit gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But I could, if I wanted to.”

Phichit squeaked in alarm. “Yuuri, I gotta go. Ciao Ciao caught me.”

Yuuri laughed. “Serves you right for calling me during practice.”

“I was taking a break. He _told_ me to take a break… Oh, he looks mad. I’ll call you later, Yuuri.”

“Bye, Phichit.” Yuuri hit the end call button on his phone and set it down on the coffee table.

Victor walked back from the kitchen with two mugs of steaming tea. “That was quick. I expected you to talk with him longer.”

Yuuri sat up, clearing a space for Victor to sit. He shrugged. “He called me during practice.”

Victor set the mugs on the coffee table before settling on the couch. “The tea isn’t quite ready yet.”

Yuuri leaned back against Victor. Victor ran his fingers gently through Yuuri’s hair, pushing it away from his face. Yuuri closed his eyes and hummed gently in response.

Victor took a deep breath. _How do I approach this? I didn’t realize that coming here, with me, would be so hard on him. And I should have. I feel like a fool. I have taken him far away from everything that he knew. How could I be so selfish?_

“Yuuri…”

Yuuri opened his eyes. “Hmm?”

“You would tell me if there was something that I could do, right? Something to make it feel more like home here?”

Yuuri started. _He heard that? Of course he did, the kitchen is just right there. It’s not like we can be that far apart yet, either. He’s probably been feeling my anxiety, too._ Yuuri looked up and met Victor’s eyes, full of concern. _And now he’s worried that I’m unhappy here…_

Yuuri sighed as he sat up, turning so that he could face Victor. “Of course I would. It’s just… you know that I have issues with anxiety…”

Victor nodded. _I’ve felt his anxiety through our bond, so much stronger than any I’ve ever felt._

Yuuri balled his hands into fists. “It makes it hard sometimes to adjust? Like when I moved to Detroit? I was a nervous wreck for ages…”

Victor nodded slowly in understanding. “Even though I’m sure that you had prepared yourself to go, and knew English.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Victor reached out, gently cupping Yuuri’s cheek with his hand. “Yuuri, please tell me these things. I’ll help you, but I can only do that if I know what is bothering you.”

Yuuri felt the hot pressure of tears build behind his eyes. _No, don’t cry. There’s no reason to cry. You’ll only upset Victor if you do…_

Tears started to fall from Yuuri’s eyes. Yuuri sniffled as he rubbed fiercely at his eyes, his hands pushing his glasses up in the process. He quietly said, “I’m sorry…”

Victor threw his arms around Yuuri and held him gently, guiding Yuuri to rest his head on Victor’s shoulder. “Shh, it’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Yuuri sniffled. “It’s just been a really long week.”

Victor chuckled. “That might just be the understatement of the year. Just remember, I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

Yuuri nodded. Victor’s shirt grew damp with Yuuri’s tears. Victor held him, close but gently, as the tears started to subside. Yuuri ‘s arms reached around and clutched at Victor’s back, clinging like his life depended on it.

Yuuri’s voice was quiet, almost tentative, when he spoke again. “I haven’t been home in 5 years…”

Victor stayed silent, waiting patiently. _Is he finally going to open up to me?_

Yuuri let out a shaky sigh. “I hadn’t seen Vicchan, not in person anyway, in 5 years. All because I was selfish.”

Victor’s eyes widened in shock as he felt guilt and grief filter through the bond. _From what I’ve seen, Yuuri is one of the most selfless people I’ve ever known. What could he possibly have done that he thinks is selfish? Is it because…?_

“Because you went to Detroit to train?”

Yuuri nodded. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. To pet him one last time. He was waiting for me, I know it. And I let him down…”

Victor tightened his arms around Yuuri. _I don’t know what to say to make this better. I’m not good with emotions. What do I say to him?_

Victor took a deep breath. He said quietly, “You didn’t know. There was no way to know. You could have been there, and things would have still been the same. Yuuri, stop blaming yourself.”

Yuuri said softly, “I know. But it still hurts.”

“It will for a while, I’m afraid. Tell me about him?” _Talking about the happy memories might help him see past the pain and remember the good._

Yuuri nodded slowly, moving his head off of Victor’s shoulder. “Let’s lay down like before? I have some pictures on my phone you can look at…”

Victor let go of Yuuri and allowed him to back up. Victor reached up and rubbed away the tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Only happy memories, okay? Nothing sad today.”

Yuuri nodded. “Okay. I guess I have a confession to make, to start with.”

Victor raised an eyebrow in question. “And what’s that?”

“His name was actually Victor… He was a brown miniature poodle. I got him when I was twelve, after I saw a picture of you and Makkachin…” Yuuri’s eyes looked away, his cheeks red in embarrassment.

Victor’s face lit up with a smile. “That’s adorable, Yuuri! I can’t believe that you got a poodle and named him after me!”

“You… you’re not offended?”

“Yuuuuri, why on earth would I be offended? I think it’s cute.”

Yuuri’s blush darkened. He fidgeted slightly as he tried to think of what to say. “Um, I really miss the way that Vicchan used to crawl into my bed and sleep with me. It always made me feel safe and warm…”

Yuuri looked up at Victor. _The way that he does now. But I can’t tell him that._

Yuuri rubbed a hand down his arm absently. _I can’t tell Victor, my… soulmate, that he makes me feel warm and safe… Why not? Why can’t I tell him that?_

Victor laid back on the couch and held out his arms in invitation. Yuuri smiled as he sank into Victor’s embrace. He sighed contentedly. “But it is nothing compared to the way that I feel when you hold me close like this, Vitya.”

Victor hummed gently in agreement and kissed Yuuri on the top of his head.

Yuuri turned his head slightly, listening to the sound of Victor’s heartbeat beneath him. He could feel the warmth of Victor’s love coming through the bond. _I may not be used to Russia yet, but there is no place that I would rather be than here with Victor. And I know, that with his help, eventually it will feel like home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it took so long for an update. I've been kind of out in the weeds so to speak for the last two chapters (they were not part of the original plan). But we are almost to the end. One more chapter, which will be an epilogue. I'll try to have it for you all soon.


	10. Epilogue

The World Championships  
Sapporo, Japan

Yuuri stretched as he moved back into the main room from the bathroom, his hair still damp from his shower. He smiled as he caught sight of Victor, already comfortable on the bed. Victor was scrolling through his social media on his phone, scowling slightly. Yuuri sat down on the bed and scooted close to Victor.

Victor put his arm around Yuuri and pulled him in closer. Yuuri kissed Victor gently on the cheek, causing Victor to hum in appreciation. Yuuri asked, “Tired?”

Victor nodded. “And it was only the short program. If only I had your  _ stamina _ , Yuuri.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Yuuri turned bright red. He reached behind him and grabbed a pillow, using it to hit Victor in the face. Victor yelped as he fell backwards on the bed. Victor placed the back of his hand over his forehead dramatically as he said, “You wounded me, Yuuri…”

Yuuri glared at Victor. “That comment was fighting dirty. You know we can’t. You have the free program tomorrow.”

Victor sighed. “I know. After?”

“After, we’re going to Hasetsu.”

Victor singsonged, “But not right away.”

Yuuri smiled as he leaned down to kiss Victor gently on the lips. As he pulled away, Yuuri whispered. “You’re incorrigible…”

Victor chuckled as he chased Yuuri’s lips for another kiss, gentle yet passionate. Yuuri hummed in pleasure as their lips parted.

Victor smiled as he brushed Yuuri’s hair away from his face. “What do you say to staying in tonight? We could just order room service.”

“I’d say that sounds wonderful.”

***

Two Days Later

Yuuri sighed as he walked back into the main room. He hung his suit back in the closet, and looked around the empty room.

_ Victor was going to go to Chris’ room for a while. It’s been a long time since the two of them got to spend time together. And that means that I… _

A loud knock at the door interrupted Yuuri’s thoughts. He smiled as he opened the door. Phichit launched himself at Yuuri the moment that the door opened. “ _ Yuuri!” _

Yuuri stumbled backwards, barely keeping upright as he caught his best friend in his arms. “Hey, Phichit. Glad that you could come over tonight.”

Phichit said excitedly, “Of course I came! We have so much that we need to talk about. And there is only so much that we can do through text. I can’t believe that you are really doing this, Yuuri!”

Yuuri pulled away from Phichit suddenly, looking down at the floor as he wrapped his hand awkwardly around his elbow.

“Wait, you  _ are _ still doing this, right?”

Yuuri looked up at Phichit.  _ What if this isn’t what Victor wants? What if he doesn’t want to make it public like this? What if he wanted… _

“Whatever it is that you’re thinking right now, you need to stop. I can practically feel your anxiety from here.”

Yuuri froze.  _ Which means that Victor will feel it, for sure. Phichit’s right, I need to stop before Victor comes back to see what’s wrong… _

“Do you think Victor will like it, Phichit?”

Phichit tilted his head slightly before bursting into riotous laughter. Yuuri frowned. “It’s not funny. I’m serious.”

Phichit wiped tears from his eyes as he struggled to control his laughter. “I know, I’m sorry. But you  _ are _ talking about Victor, right? The same man that you have been calling Victor ‘Extra’ Nikiforov for the past two months?  _ Of course _ he will.”

Yuuri sighed as he walked back towards the bed. He sat down heavily, resting his arms on his thighs. “I hope so, Phichit.”

Yuuri rubbed absently at the snowflakes on his wrist. He smiled. "He's been so patient with me. I know that I'm… not easy to deal with. But Victor has always been kind, and waited for me to come to him. And when I do, he meets me halfway."

"This is the only thing that I can think of to thank him."

Phichit sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around Yuuri’s shoulders. “I know. And I’m more than happy to conspire with you on this. Just tell me that you remembered to pack the rings?”

Yuuri nodded. “I had a difficult time hiding them from Victor. But I brought them.”

Phichit asked excitedly, “Can I see them?”

Yuuri nodded, rising from the bed. He walked over to his backpack, reaching into the very bottom. He pulled out a small ring box, smiling as he walked back towards the bed.

As Yuuri sat down, he handed the box to Phichit. Phichit opened the box and whistled. “Wow, man. These are really nice. That picture you sent me did not do them justice.”

Inside the box were two simple gold rings. The inside of the rings were engraved with the same snowflake pattern that was imprinted on their wrists.

Phichit picked up one of the rings, turning it around to study the design on the inside. “I’ve always thought that bond rings were such a cool idea. I love the way that the two rings fit together to make your soulmark. I hope my soulmate wants them, too.”

Yuuri chuckled. “I’m sure that they will.”

Phichit asked, “How did you ever manage to get these made without Victor finding out?”

“I got help. I asked Georgi Popovich. Do you know him?”

Phichit shrugged. “A little? I’ve only ever competed with him at the World’s, though.”

“It turns out that Georgi is infatuated with the idea of soulmates. And he is a total romantic. So when I told him about this, about wanting to get these made without Victor finding out, he was more than willing to help.”

Phichit said, “So he went and placed the order for you, and picked them up so that Victor wouldn’t know… That’s genius, Yuuri!”

Yuuri nodded. “And then you and Chris helped me plan the ceremony. Mila and Georgi made sure that everyone at the rink knew when and where the ceremony was going to be. Mari made sure that the inn would be empty, so that all of the out of town guests could stay there. She also invited all of my friends in Hasetsu.”

Phichit grinned. “With this many people involved, I don’t know how we managed to keep it a secret. Victor is going to be so surprised when he realizes that you planned a bonding ceremony for him!”

Yuuri smiled. “It may be smaller, and more private, than what he would have planned. I hope that he likes it.”

“He’ll love it. Mostly because you planned it for him.”

***

Victor flopped backwards onto the bed. He sighed in frustration and covered his eyes with his arm. “I want to ask him.”

“We’ve talked about this, Victor. Yuuri is a very anxious, nervous person. If you ask him too soon, it will only scare him.”

Victor moved his arm away, turning his head to look at Chris. “It’s just a bonding ceremony. It doesn’t even have to be public. I just want it to be official, you know? I want to wear a ring, and for him to wear one too. So the whole world will know. Is it really too much to ask?”

Chris shook his head. “You only bonded a few months ago. And it  _ was _ accidental. Plus, Yuuri had to uproot his whole life. So, yes, I think right now it is still too much to ask of him.”

Victor groaned. “I know. You’re right. I just thought, as well as everything has been going, that maybe… Maybe during the off season…”

“You haven’t even met his family yet, Victor. Maybe you should wait at least for that?”

“We’re leaving for Hasetsu tomorrow afternoon. Maybe after I get to know his family a little?”

Chris sighed. “Maybe.”

Chris closed his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

_ Keeping this from Victor, and keeping him from getting rings himself, has been harder than I thought it would be. I hope that Yuuri appreciates this… _

***

The Following Evening  
Hasetsu, Japan

Yuuri looked at the familiar building. He could feel the apprehension coming from Victor in waves.  _ It is still a little hard to imagine that Victor Nikiforov, five-time World Champion Figure Skater, would be nervous about meeting my family. _

_ And yet, here we are. Standing in front of my family’s onsen. And Victor looks like he’s going to die of fright… _

Victor’s face was paler than normal. There was sweat on his forehead, despite the late snow on the ground, and his hands were clammy. Yuuri held Victor’s hand tightly. “Are you ready?”

Victor took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  _ This is it. I’m finally going to meet Yuuri’s family. I hope… I hope that they like me… _

Yuuri squeezed Victor’s hand gently. “Stop worrying, Vitya.”

Victor whispered, “But what if they don’t like me?”  _ After all, I stole you away to Russia. Why would they like me? _

“They are going to love you.”

“How can you be sure?”

Yuuri kissed Victor gently on the cheek. “Because I love you.”  _ And since you make me happy, they will love you, too. _

Victor leaned in towards Yuuri, kissing the top of Yuuri’s head. “I love you, too.”

“I think I’m ready.”  _ Or as ready as I’m ever going to be… _

Yuuri nodded. He stepped forward onto the path leading from the gate, pulling Victor along behind him. He pulled open the door of the inn and stepped inside. Victor followed him, and followed his example of toeing off his shoes as he shrugged out of his coat.

Yuuri called out in Japanese, “ I’m home .”

He could hear hurried footsteps coming from the kitchen. Hiroko ran into view. She stopped and held her arms open wide. Yuuri stepped into the hug, holding his mother tight. Hiroko said quietly in Japanese, “Welcome home. We missed you.”

Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop his tears from falling. “I missed you, too. I’m sorry that I was away for so long. I promise that I won’t stay away that long again.”

“I know, sweetie. It’s okay.”

Yuuri pulled away reluctantly. He took a deep breath. “Mom, this is Victor.”

Switching to English, Yuuri said, “Victor, this is my mom.”

Hiroko smiled warmly at Victor and said, in careful English, “Welcome home.”

_ Home?  _ Victor’s heart clenched as tears came to his eyes. Overcome with emotions, Victor’s legs gave out from under him, sending him to his knees.

Yuuri gasped as he was hit with the maelstrom of emotions. It was a confusing mixture, but the overwhelming emotion was happiness. Yuuri smiled through the sudden tears pricking his eyes. He moved towards Victor, but stopped as his mother placed her hand on Yuuri’s arm.

Hiroko shook her head slightly. “Let me.”

Hiroko stepped towards Victor and gathered him up in a warm hug. He melted into her motherly embrace. She murmured softly in Japanese, as she held Victor. Although he could not understand the words, the tender tone comforted Victor. Tears fell freely from Victor’s eyes.

_ I had nearly forgotten what it felt like to have a family…  _ __

Victor looked up at Yuuri, smiling at him through his tears.  _ Thank you, Yuuri. Thank you for being you. For being my soulmate, and for loving me. And, for giving me a family again.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! This fic took much longer than I thought it would to write, and ended up being at least 3 chapters longer than I originally intended. Thank you to all of you that have read it, whether you have been reading from the beginning or whether you found it now that it is complete. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> Also a huge thank you to my beta, Aurone. Please check out the second story in the series, her Emil/Michele story [ Purple Roses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11527011/chapters/25875339). 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always welcome. Also, check out my tumblr: [ schaladresdan](http://schaladresdan.tumblr.com/).

**Author's Note:**

> I am insane. I don't need another WIP, I need to finish the ones that I have going. But, here it is anyway. The Victuuri Soulmate AU that has been pinging around in my head for the last few months. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always welcome. Also, check out my tumblr: [ schaladresdan](http://schaladresdan.tumblr.com/). I post weekly status updates for all of my WIPs, usually on Mondays.


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